What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to critique the concept of hegemonic masculinity and propose a focus on the hegemony of men in gender studies.

April 1, 2004

From Hegemonic Masculinity to the Hegemony of Men

Key Points

The aim is to critique the concept of hegemonic masculinity and propose a focus on the hegemony of men in gender studies.
Evaluated existing literature on hegemonic masculinity and its critiques.
Explored the concept of hegemony within the framework of Critical Studies on Men (CSM).
Discussed institutional developments related to CSM and their implications on feminist and social theory.
Proposed a shift from masculinity to men, emphasizing their roles as both social agents and subjects.
Highlighted the complexity of men as individuals and collectives within the gender system.
Connected arguments to broader debates in feminist theory, focusing on power dynamics.

Abstract

This article evaluates the usefulness of the concept of hegemony in theorizing men. The discussion is located within the framework of ‘Critical Studies on Men’ (CSM), in which the centrality of power issues is recognized, rather than that of ‘Men’s Studies’, where it is frequently not. Recent uses, as in ‘hegemonic masculinity’ in the analysis of masculinities, are subjected to a qualified critique. Instead a shift is proposed from masculinity to men, to focus on ‘the hegemony of men’. This formulation seeks to address the double complexity that men are both a social category formed by the gender system and collective and individual agents, often dominant collective and individual agents, of social practices . This is explored mainly in relation to substantive studies on men, and briefly the institutional development of CSM. The concluding discussion examines how these arguments connect with debates in feminist theory and social theory.

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