Introduction

This chapter provides an overview of contemporary sociological theorizations of masculinities, neoliberalism, place, and aspiration as areas of research. The scholarship on the relationship between masculinity and place is growing, where a key focus has been exploring variations in constructions of masculinities in relation to different localities or places. The scholars in the collection theorize masculinities and masculine performances as identity constructs deeply influenced by social, cultural, and spatial forces. Connell asserts that masculine identities are actively constructed and accomplished in everyday actions within institutions such as families, sports, armies, schools, and corporations, where “masculinity shapes education, and education forming masculinity”. Harvey argues that current iterations of neoliberalism function as a political, economic, and ideological system that gives considerable credence to the market as best, most efficient platform for distributing public resources. This macro-level neoliberal governance attributes greater consideration of individual duty than government responsibility. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.