Welcome to Episode 29 of No Man’s an Island – a podcast powered by Men’s Therapy Hub, a directory of male therapists for male clients.
In this episode, Chris Hemmings speaks with critical theorist Louisa Toxvaerd Munch about the deeper social, political and emotional forces shaping the rise of the manosphere. Rather than reducing the issue to bad individuals or toxic online content alone, Louisa argues that men’s distress must be understood in the context of neoliberalism, patriarchy, loneliness, loss and the collapse of community.
Drawing on her doctoral research into nostalgia, Louisa explains how many men are being pulled towards regressive ideologies because they are grieving a version of social identity that no longer feels available to them. As stable work, local institutions and collective spaces disappear, some men are left with anger, confusion and a longing for certainty. In that vacuum, figures like Andrew Tate and Donald Trump can appear powerful, even when they are only deepening the pain.
Chris and Louisa explore why so many men are not simply resisting change but struggling to make sense of loss without the language, support or spaces to process it. They discuss loneliness as more than isolation, the psychological pull of patriarchal father figures, the role of football culture, the failure to speak to white working-class boys and why compassionate conversations matter more than shame.
This is a powerful conversation about men’s mental health, class politics, emotional literacy and the urgent need to build something better than the systems currently failing us.
You can find Louisa here:
Instagram: @louisamunchtheory
TikTok: @louisamunchtheory
You can find Chris here:
https://chrishemmings.co.uk
Episode link on Men's Therapy Hub:
https://menstherapyhub.co.uk/how-neoliberalism-fuels-the-manosphere-loneliness-class-anger-and-the-search-for-belonging-with-louisa-toxvaerd-monk/
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