ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book demonstrates the state of the art in men’s studies, and argues that in viewing and experiencing themselves as acting in a role, men lose the ability to experience themselves outside the role. It illustrates the finely nuanced character of many of the analyses, and the enormous debt men’s studies owes to the women’s studies scholarship. The book shows that simplistic formulations of sex roles “posit masculinity as a fixed and definable set of behavioral norms, a static and universal box into which all men must fit.” It examines the historical nature of questions about masculinity in its exploration of the rise and role of organized sports. The book explores the historical genesis of the concept of homosexuality as a distinct type, as well as the existence of distinct homosexual–homosocial “styles,” which vary by class and nationality.
