Duke University Press - Changing Men and Masculinities in Latin America

Subjects
Anthropology > Cultural Anthropology, Gender and Sexuality > Sex and Sexuality, Latin American Studies

Ranging from fatherhood to machismo and from public health to housework, Changing Men and Masculinities in Latin America is a collection of pioneering studies of what it means to be a man in Latin America. Matthew C. Gutmann brings together essays by well-known U.S. Latin Americanists and newly translated essays by noted Latin American scholars. Historically grounded and attuned to global political and economic changes, this collection investigates what, if anything, is distinctive about and common to masculinity across Latin America at the same time that it considers the relative benefits and drawbacks of studies focusing on men there. Demonstrating that attention to masculinities does not thwart feminism, the contributors illuminate the changing relationships between men and women and among men of different ethnic groups, sexual orientations, and classes.

The contributors look at Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, and the United States. They bring to bear a number of disciplines—anthropology, history, literature, public health, and sociology—and a variety of methodologies including ethnography, literary criticism, and statistical analysis. Whether analyzing rape legislation in Argentina, the unique space for candid discussions of masculinity created in an Alcoholics Anonymous group in Mexico, the role of shame in shaping Chicana and Chicano identities and gender relations, or homosexuality in Brazil, Changing Men and Masculinities highlights the complex distinctions between normative conceptions of masculinity in Latin America and the actual experiences and thoughts of particular men and women.

Contributors. Xavier Andrade, Daniel Balderston, Peter Beattie, Stanley Brandes, Héctor Carrillo, Miguel Díaz Barriga, Agustín Escobar, Francisco Ferrándiz, Claudia Fonseca, Norma Fuller, Matthew C. Gutmann, Donna Guy, Florencia Mallon, José Olavarría, Richard Parker, Mara Viveros

"[A] much-needed addition to studies of masculinity in Latin America. . . . [The articles] question many recent traditional ethnographic studies of Latin American masculinities and in doing so make us reconsider the original objective of the volume itself: to represent Latin American masculinities in a more realistic and fluid manner." — Hugo Benavides , American Anthropologist

"[A]n innovative work in a still-emerging field. . . . The eclecticism is a strength. . . . Another strength of this volume is its recognition of the dynamic nature of the concept of masculinity." — James A. Baer , Journal of the History of Sexuality

"[D]iverse and insightful. . . . [T]he contributors demonstrate convincingly that works about men and masculinities are useful not just for what they tell us about gender and sexuality, but also for what they can reveal about community dynamics, health and disease, race relations, and politics. As a result, this book should serve as a baseline for future projects in diverse fields and locations." — Marc Adam Hertzman, Luso-Brazilian Review

"[F]or non-Latin Americanists teaching and researching gender, or gender and development in cross-cultural perspective, Changing Men and Masculinities in Latin America will come as something of a godsend. . . . Changing Men and Masculinities in Latin America has much to offer scholars working in and beyond the region." — Sylvia Chant, Journal of Latin American Studies

"[I]nnovative . . . . [Gutmann] provides much information about an emerging subject. [A]ll of [the articles] give the reader much to consider about a very complex topic." — James A. Baer , Journal of the History of Sexuality

"This anthology provides a solid foundation for research in an area that is just beginning to gather momentum. In sum, this anthology, rich in nuance and detail, will be of interest to anyone thinking and theorizing masculinities, identities, and gender relations in Latin America and beyond." — Martin de Santos, Contemporary Sociology

"This volume adds greatly to the gender-sexuality and masculinity literature currently available. . . . [T]he volume does well by implicitly questioning the notion of 'normative' masculinity by providing rich, detailed ethnographic accounts of various styles of masculinities throughout Latin America." — Cindy L. SturtzSreetharan, American Ethnologist

"Though the scope of this book is huge, the authors pay simultaneous attention to the minute details that give a living voice to these Latin American men. Overall, this book is a valuable collection for researchers wishing to understand the meaning of manhood and masculinity for Latino and Latin American men." — Andrew Behnke , Journal of Marriage and Family

"Whether picking up a rifle and heading to the hills, or picking up the kids from school, this volume reveals masculinity to be a useful and stimulating way of exploring change in Latin America." — Matthew Brown, Bulletin of Latin American Research

“The essays in this volume represent a significant advance for our understanding of both the texture and obstinate endurance of inequality in Latin America. Building on recent breakthrough studies of women, gender, and sexuality, Changing Men and Masculinities opens up worlds of male experience, from the bedroom to the workplace. The volume confirms that masculinity is a useful, and indispensable, category of analysis.” — Greg Grandin, author of The Blood of Guatemala: A History of Race and Nation

”Changing Men and Masculinities in Latin America stands on the frontier of gender studies. Its interdisciplinarity, broad historical scope, and multicountry coverage portray well the diversity of masculinities in Latin America.” — Elizabeth Dore, coeditor of Hidden Histories of Gender and the State in Latin America