This comprehensive introduction to masculine identity politics in Canada offers a range of viewpoints, narratives, and evidence about the contested nature of masculinity. Drawing primarily on author Michael Atkinson's ethnographic research of Canadian men over the past decade, the text explores the idea of masculinity in crisis and the attempt by many men to move beyond this perceived crossroads. Atkinson reviews the historical links between masculinity and social power, the cultural associations between masculinity and violence, the role of masculinity in sports cultures, the problems of masculinity for young men, the mass mediation of masculinity and misandry, and the rise of alternative and 'feminine' masculinities. Never before have men's social roles, statuses, and identities been so open to cultural critique and redefinition; Deconstructing Men and Masculinities provides an engaging sociological narrative to guide readers through this ground-breaking area of study.

Michael Atkinson's profile page

Michael Atkinson is an associate professor in the Faculty of Physical Education and Health at the University of Toronto. Before arriving at U of T, Atkinson taught research methods at the School of Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University in the UK. Atkinson has also taught in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Western Ontario and in the sociology departments at both Memorial University and McMaster University. Throughout his academic career, Atkinson has researched and taught courses in the sociology of bodies, sport, health and wellness, deviance and crime, popular culture, subcultures, youth, and research methods. He locates his work within three substantive areas: masculinities, violence, and liminality.

"[Deconstructing Men and Masculinities is] an up-to-date examination of current trends in the study of (the crisis of) North American masculinity... It's very refreshing to encounter a Canadian sociological perspective on the masculinity crisis, and to consider even that Canadian masculinity (or better, masculinities) might be unique in nature." --James Pettit, Marianopolis College