ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines some of the historical and cultural variation in how men's friendships have been represented, understood and experienced. One reason for so doing is to provide a rich backcloth against which to problematise the mainstay in thinking about men's friendships: women exceed men in achieving intimate friendship. This assertion is attracting more and more criticism from academics, who question whether the problem' with men's friendships is more a matter of narrowly defined gender norms. However, it is clear that much of the literature reviewed above does not fully account for the different perspectives men hold on friendship. For one thing, friendship commentators generally have nothing to say on the issues that arise when gay sexualities are introduced into debates on gender and friendship. The chapter examines the cultural discourses that surround men's friendships, exposing the multiple meanings friendships hold for men.
