The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)

Liberating  Masculinities

In Liberating Masculinities, Kopano Ratele posits that all masculinities are working models, and some models might be more unworkable given the prevailing structural conditions. The more models of masculinity we have access to, the higher the likelihood that some will be workable, even liberating. Instead of a singular, ahistorical and property that comes with having a penis, the book opens up a view where masculinities are culturally constructed relational models. Covering a range of topics, from clothes and violent death, through a better sexual life and tradition, to race and feminism, Liberating Masculinities presents ways to understand the contestations around masculinity and gender relations. Ratele offers both theoretically rich and psychologically insightful analyses to liberate men, as well as those who are involved in the making of men, from oppressive and injurious models of masculinity.

Open Access

Product information

Format : 235mm x 168mm
Pages : 192
ISBN 13 : 978-0-7969-2521-3
Publish Year : October 2016
Rights : World Rights

1. Introduction: Men no longer rule over their families.

2. Ayashisa amateki

3. At risk of violent death

4. A better (sexual) life for all

5. Liberating masculinities

6. Masculinities without tradition

7. We black men

8. Of what value is feminism to men?

Author

Kopano Ratele is Professor in the Institute for Social and Health Sciences at the University of South Africa (Unisa)and researcher in the South African Medical Research Council–Unisa Violence, Injury and Peace Research Unit. Best known for his work on men and masculinity – specifically in relation to violence, race, sexualities, and tradition – he has published a number of books, scholarly essays, research papers, and shorter pieces on a range of psychological, cultural and social topics. His list of publications included the co–edited book 'From Boys to Men: Social Constructions of Masculinities in Contemporary Society'; 'Inter–group Relations: South African Perspectives'; and "There Was This Goat", co–authored with Nosisi Mpolweni and Antjie Krog. He is a past president of the Psychological Society of South Africa, and the incumbent chairperson of the board of Sonke Gender Justice.

Share this

You might also consider these related books

Mens  Pathways

Men's Pathways to Parenthood
Silence and heterosexual gendered norms

How does the decision to become a parent unfold for heterosexual men? Is becoming a father a 'decision' at all or a series of events? These questions are the starting point for this critical book, in which the authors unravel the social and interpersonal processes shaped by deeply entrenched socio-cultural norms that come to bear on parenthood decision-making in the South African context.

Open Access

Product information

Format : 240mm x 168mm (Hard Cover)
Pages : 208
ISBN 13 : 978-0-7969-2503-9
Publish Year : July 2015
Rights : World Rights
Price R 190.00
2179  Large

Women, Development and Transport in Rural Eastern Cape, South Africa

Addressing the challenges facing policy and its implementation in respect of women, development and transport by concentrating on selected sites in the rural Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

Open Access

Product information

Format : 210mm x 280mm
Pages : 56
ISBN 10 : 0-7969-2168-7
ISBN 13 : 978-07969-2168-0
Publish Year : 2006
Price R 98.00
2294  Large

Was it something I wore?
Dress Identity Materiality

People often wear their causes on their t-shirts, in their choice of traditional attire or other garments, or by way of specific costumes, pieces of jewellery or particular accessories. In Was it something I wore? Dress; identity; materiality, the contributors explore the construction and performance of personal and social identities. The essays point to the significance of dress as material culture in social science research not only in their content but also in their focus on a variety of methodologies including memory work, visual studies, autoethnography, object biographies and other forms of textual analysis.

Open Access

Product information

Format : 235mm x 168mm (Soft Cover)
Pages : 384
ISBN 10 : 978-07969-2362-2
ISBN 13 : 978-07969-2362-2
Publish Year : 2012
Rights : World Rights
Price R 380.00
2079  Large

Gender Equity in South African Education 1994 - 2004
Conference proceedings

Gender Equity in South African Education 1994 - 2004 will provide readers with an overview of the progress of achieving gender equity in post-apartheid South African education. The book brings together the leading South African and international experts on gender equity in education. The papers presented at the conference, included here as chapters of the book, are all substantial contributions. They cast light, from many angles, on the different dimensions and needs in research and social action related to gender in education.

Open Access

Product information

Format : 148mm x 210mm
Pages : 168
ISBN 10 : 0-7969-2094-X
ISBN 13 : 978-07969-2094-2
Publish Year : 2005
Price R 159.00