ABSTRACT
Alongside the child, developmental psychology constituted the woman as mother as its key object of concern and intervention. But then its gaze shifted to include men, men as fathers. This chapter explores why and how this has happened, and evaluates the adequacy of the models by which fatherhood is investigated. From debates over whether the ‘new man’ is old or new, real or fictional, paradigms for studying fathering practices could certainly do with an overhaul. There are significant policy consequences of the conceptual and methodological occlusions of prevailing models, as well as new varieties emerging with political-economic shifts in the organisation of labour and care. Further, the philosophical and methodological limitations of this work go beyond the study of fathers to throw into relief more general research assumptions and practices.
