Rethinking Men

What masculinity means in the 21st century

Anthony Synnott, Ph.D. is a professor of sociology at Concordia University in Montreal. See full bio

August 28, 2009

Man Up!

One of my friends explained her break-up with her husband: "He wasn't man enough for me." Synchronicity being what it is, unexpected, some of the women in my class (I teach a course on men) were complaining about men. Elizabeth said "They need to man up. " I asked what that meant. Melinda explained: "When you go out with them, they order white wine and baguettes! Read More

July 10, 2009

The New Man: Who Knew?

Scientists have created human sperm from embryonic stem cells. Toxic chemical food contamination is feminizing men. Male birth rates are declining. Are men becoming superfluous? Read More

July 7, 2009

What Is Ugly? Part 2

Dede Koswara is known as " The Tree Man." He is an Indonesian villager who is covered in warts from head to toe and has recently undergone his ninth operation to remove them. His condition is thought to be the result of HPV and a rare genetic anomaly. Normal life is impossible for him, both physically and socially. (Le Journal de Montreal 13.2.09). Read More

July 7, 2009

What Is Ugly?

Ugliness is ugly. Beauty is beautiful. The two are opposed as binaries. But the words are not simply descriptors. They are also moral evaluations. Read More

July 7, 2009

All You Need Is Love Part 2

The two most common theories of love are, as we might expect, contradictory. These are: "Opposites attract,"- which they often do. And: "Birds of a feather flock together" - a clone theory, - which they often do. But two other theories deserve our attention: social capital theory and chemistry theory. Read More

June 17, 2009

All You Need Is Love Part I

"All you need is love...love is all you need." The Beatles sang this interminably. "What the world needs now, is love, sweet love," sang Burt Bacharach in close harmony. "Love makes the world go round" is proverbial. Read More

June 16, 2009

Minding Your P's & Q's

Don't you get fed up with people some times? Their bad manners, stupidity, selfishness, thoughtlessness? Of course you do. You hate their road rage, line-up jumping, loud talking on their cell phones in elevators, on trains and busses, their inability to realize that they actually do have to pay at the grocery check-out counter. Read More

Gender Basics

In the old days, it was so simple. Men killed the animals, women raised the kids. Then we moved out of caves, invented gender studies, and learned a bit about genetics. Now nothing is clear-cut.

Go to the Gender Basics page for more on Gender including:

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