NCJ Number
162071
Journal
Criminologist Volume: 21 Issue: 1 Dated: (January-February 1996) Pages: 1,4-5
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The emerging emphasis on many forms of masculinity and how masculinity is continually negotiated, challenged, and changed should have an important impact on criminology, which has often assumed that male attitudes and roles represent a relatively uniform concept.
Abstract
Traditionally, criminology is the study of men and the pretense that this is the study of all people. However, the insights and methodologies of feminist analysis have prompted some researchers to reexamine male behavior and question the view that some single biological or sociological male nature. It is now clear that at least four basic types of men's groups exist. These are (1) the profeminist men's groups working to change themselves and other men, (2) the scholars in homosexual men's studies, (3) the antifeminist groups, and (4) the mythopoetic groups that simultaneously claim the victimhood of men and patriarchal entitlements. The fourth group's most important insight is the existence of many masculinities and many reactions to them, despite the John Wayne symbol of masculinity. Even male batterers commonly agree that they have been victimized by their female victims; the great majority of both victims and offenders are males. Among promising areas of theoretical research are how youth regard their own opportunities to achieve masculinity and the concept of male peer support in college campuses and other settings. 9 references