By Sandy Ruxton & Stephen Burrell
The podcast currently has 47 episodes available.
For one turbulent week at the end of July this year, serious rioting broke out across around 20 towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland. Rioters attacked homes and businesses owned by immigrants, and set fire to accommodation housing asylum-seekers. The riots began near Liverpool after the horrific murder of three young girls in a neighbouring town, about which far-right supporters spread false claims online that the perpetrator was a Muslim migrant or asylum-seeker.
Whilst some women were involved, the vast majority of the rioters were men. So how should we understand the place of masculinities and misogyny in these events, and in extreme movements more generally? What should we make of the response of the authorities, focused largely on criminality, arrests, and imprisonment? How significant is the subsequent upsurge in anti-racism rallies across the country, which heavily outnumbered the far-right rioters?
We talk to Dr Elizabeth Pearson about her recent book ‘Extreme Britain: Gender, Masculinity and Radicalisation’, which explores misogyny and masculinities in relation to the far-right (English Defence League, Britain First, and For Britain) and the Islamist group al-Muhajiroun. The book is based on interviews with figures including Anjem Choudary, Tommy Robinson, Jayda Fransen, and Anne Marie Waters. Elizabeth argues that radicalisation is a ‘masculinity project’ for those who get involved in extremism – both for those on the far-right, and those in Islamist groups.
Elizabeth is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Royal Holloway, University of London. She is also an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) for Defence and Security Studies. Prior to academia, she worked as a radio journalist for the BBC.
Episode timeline
Explainers
Professor Jeff Hearn has been engaging in academic, activist, and personal work on men, masculinities, and pro-feminism for over 45 years. So how does he reflect on what he has observed over the course of his career, and in contemporary debates? For instance, what are ‘political masculinities’ and how are they playing out in today’s turbulent political climate? Is it possible to categorise different legal and policy approaches to men and gender equality across Europe? What counts as ‘violence’ and how should we understand the links between different forms? How can memory work help to explain the relationship between masculinity and ageing? These are some of the concepts and issues we explore in this wide-ranging episode, based on Jeff’s rich body of writing and research since the 1970s.
Jeff’s work is well known in the field of critical studies on men and masculinities. He has also worked extensively on organisations, management and work, with special emphasis on gender, sexuality, diversity and intersectionality; and men’s violence to women and children. His wider interests include globalisation and transnationalisations, social theory, and cultural studies. He spent his early career at Bradford University in the UK, rising to became head of department. Since then, he has held various posts internationally, including: Research Professor in Social Sciences, Manchester University, UK; Professor of Gender Studies, Linköping University, Sweden; and currently Professor Emeritus, Management and Organisation, Hanken School of Economics, Finland; Senior Professor, Human Geography, Örebro University, Sweden; and Professor of Sociology, University of Huddersfield, UK. He was also a founder member of ‘Profeministimiehet’, Finland.
Jeff’s work:
Episode timeline:
More info:
Why should we all be concerned by the content, production and dissemination of pornography today? What is the impact of the normalisation of porn culture on boys and young men? How can we help them to reject harmful and inequitable sexual behaviours and attitudes, live up to the values they hold, and build healthy, mutualistic relationships?
In this episode, youth advocate and educator Daniel Principe talks frankly about what led him to speak out about pornography, and how he came to engage with boys and young men on these issues. He describes his innovative approach in schools and colleges across Australia, and talks movingly about the positive and thoughtful responses of the boys and young men he encounters. He emphasises the need to support boys through adolescence, to help them to critique the unequal culture they are growing up in, and to champion their fundamental decency and courage.
In Australia, Daniel is a member of the DART Institute (Domestic Abuse Resource and Training Group), an Ambassador for the Women’s Resilience Centre, and an Ambassador for the national campaign Consent Can’t Wait.
Episode timeline:
More info:
Across the globe, men tend to have a lower life expectancy than women. Although there are still significant challenges facing women’s health, on issues ranging from cancer to suicide, men are faring badly. However, a closer look reveals that this picture varies significantly across different groups of men. Why is that? What role does masculinity play in shaping health inequities among men, and their experience of illnesses like prostate cancer? For Men’s Health Week 2024, we speak to Professor Derek Griffith about why an intersectional approach, which addresses issues such as economic inequality and structural racism, is vital to engaging with men and boys about their health and wellbeing.
Derek is a Founding Co-Director of the Racial Justice Institute and Founder and Director of the Center for Men’s Health Equity at Georgetown University (Washginton, DC, United States), where he is a Professor of Health Management and Policy and Oncology. He also serves as the Chair of Global Action on Men’s Health, a global men’s health advocacy organisation.
Find out more about Derek’s work: https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/0031Q00002J74ovQAB/derek-griffith
Episode timeline:
More info:
Why do most men in politics avoid describing themselves and their politics as ‘feminist’? If they do support gender equality, why do they prefer instead to be called allies, advocates or supporters? What does this mean in practice for what men politicians do to promote women’s rights, and address harmful masculine norms? How are they seen by feminist activists, women politicians and young people? These are vital issues given the power men in politics have to drive (or obstruct) change towards gender equality and preventing violence against women. They are discussed in a forthcoming report by Dr Ján Michalko for ODI, a global affairs think tank, drawing on case studies by research teams in Colombia, Liberia and Malaysia.
We talk to Ján about the findings from the research, its implications for politicians, international donors, civil society and researchers on how to engage with men in positions of power, and what such men can do to promote the transformation of unequal gender norms, in politics and in wider society.
Ján is a Research Fellow in Gender Equality and Social Inclusion at ODI. His research interests are in gender inequalities, political engagement, masculinities, feminist foreign policy, and youth. His work includes supporting the digital ALiGN platform at ODI, which brings together global gender norms research and lessons for transformative change: https://www.alignplatform.org
Read the full research series, including the cross-country analysis and in-depth country reports: https://www.alignplatform.org/research-series-men-politics-agents-gender-equitable-change
Episode timeline:
Explainers:
Dr Ken Harland has been involved in youth work practice and research with boys and young men in Northern Ireland for the past 35 years. During that time, he has witnessed a transition from a culture in which violence and conflict was normalised, to one of peace-building and hope. But how were ‘The Troubles’ shaped by gender inequality? What impact did and does the conflict have on young men growing up, and on ideas of masculinity? How is it possible to reach disadvantaged boys and young men and help them find their voice in this context? And are there lessons for elsewhere from the political transformation of Northern Ireland towards peace?
After being a community youth worker for 17 years, in 1996 Ken joined Ulster University and was co-founder and co-director of the ‘Centre for Young Men’s Studies’ there from 2005-2016. Since then he’s worked independently as a consultant, trainer, lecturer and researcher in youth and youth-related issues, and also works part-time as a Research Fellow and Consultant with Ulster University's longitudinal research initiative ‘Taking Boys Seriously’. In this episode, Ken talks movingly about his personal story, linking his early work experiences in the shipyards, to finding his passion in education, his relationship with his dad, and being a grandparent.
We cover the following topics:
Further info:
The heavy toll of gun violence in the United States is having traumatising impacts on innumerable Black men and boys, many of whom will know one or more family members or friends who have died as a result. Yet there is widespread reluctance to consider the idea of vulnerability and victimisation among these young survivors.
In this episode, we hear from Dr Jocelyn Smith Lee, who has herself experienced personal loss from the violence, about her work in the cities of Greensboro and Baltimore to challenge dehumanising narratives of Black men and boys and ensure that their voices and experiences are central to efforts to tackle the violence. We also learn about community initiatives helping these men and boys and their families heal from trauma and loss.
Jocelyn is an Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She is also the founder and director of the Centering Black Voices research lab, and the founder and project lead for the visual storytelling campaign ‘In All Ways Human’, which was originally funded by a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenge Award.
Topics we cover:
More info:
What is 'discomfort', and how can we engage effectively with men when they display it in conversations about masculinity, gender equality and violence? How can connecting with discomfort help to change harmful attitudes and behaviours? What are the risks and challenges in embracing discomfort, and how can they be dealt with? These issues are at the core of our discussion with Dr Nate Eisenstadt, drawing on his extensive experience of facilitating and researching bystander intervention and domestic violence perpetrator programmes in the UK.
We also explore the training room as a microcosm of wider society, and how discomfort and fear are often weaponised by public figures to promote damaging, polarising responses to complex real-world problems. Drawing on his earlier research on contemporary anarchist practices, Nate reflects on the challenges and potential of community-based transformative (as opposed to punitive) approaches to ending gender-based violence.
Nate is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol in the UK, in their Medical School’s Domestic Violence and Health Group, and the Co-Director of Kindling Interventions, which delivers bystander leadership programmes for violence prevention, equality and diversity.
We cover the following topics:
Further reading:
Now and Men is taking a break until February 2024, so in the meantime, to coincide with Veganuary and a new campaign called 'Vegan and Thriving' from the UK Vegan Society, we revisit episode 29 from June 2023, where we discussed masculinity and veganism with Dr Kadri Aavik.
Between 2016 and 2020, the number of vegans in Europe has doubled from 1.3 million to 2.6 million. More and more people are questioning the consumption of meat and dairy for ethical, environmental and health reasons. The majority are women, but a significant number of men are vegans, too – and over 30% of Europeans say they are consciously eating less meat. In this episode, we explore men’s experiences and motivations for becoming vegan and how they deal with masculine expectations about food. Veganism and vegetarianism are sometimes portrayed as ‘unmanly’ and effeminate, whilst meat-eating is often associated with strength and virility. The meat and dairy industries are also major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions – might the climate crisis and increasing recognition of the harms caused by these industries be leading to changes in the behaviours of some men?
Dr Kadri Aavik is an Associate Professor of Gender Studies at Tallinn University, Estonia. Kadri has written a book about her research in Estonia and Finland, ‘Contesting Anthropocentric Masculinities through Veganism: Lived Experiences of Vegan Men’ (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023). Research for the book was conducted as part of the project ‘Climate Sustainability in the Kitchen: Everyday Food Cultures in Transition’ (University of Helsinki, 2018-2022), funded by the Kone Foundation: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/projects/climate-sustainability-kitchen
Topics covered:
More info:
Blake Morrison’s award-winning, bestselling memoir ‘And When Did You Last See Your Father?’ is an honest and intimate portrait of family life, father-son relations, and the impact of bereavement. Since it came out in 1993, Blake has continued to revisit his family’s past through ‘Things My Mother Never Told Me’ (2002), and is ‘still working things out’ in his poignant recent book ‘Two Sisters’, about his sister Gill and half-sister Josie, published earlier this year.
In this episode, Blake reads extracts from ‘Two Sisters’ and ‘And When Did You Last See Your Father?’, and we explore with him key themes in his work, including: sibling relationships; family secrets; men controlling women; male violence; transitions in father-son relations; youthful rebellion, and becoming a man. We also discuss issues around men, emotion and grief, the genres of ‘sib-lit’ and ‘dad-lit’, and the impact of feminism on Blake’s own development and writing.
As well as a memoirist, Blake is a poet, novelist, and journalist. His published work includes the poetry collections ‘Dark Glasses’, ‘The Ballad of the Yorkshire Ripper’ and ‘Shingle Street’, and most recently, ‘Skin and Blister’, and four novels, including ‘The Last Weekend’ and ‘The Executor’. He’s a regular literary critic for the Guardian newspaper and the London Review of Books, and is Professor Emeritus of creative and life writing at Goldsmiths University. Born in Yorkshire, he has lived in South London for many years.
We cover the following in this episode:
The podcast currently has 47 episodes available.
10,022 Listeners
32,013 Listeners
204,784 Listeners
589 Listeners
43,339 Listeners
3,858 Listeners
146 Listeners
14,371 Listeners
15,561 Listeners
12,951 Listeners
56 Listeners
2,995 Listeners
7,656 Listeners
2,811 Listeners
1,898 Listeners