Men, masculinities, and emotionalities: Emotion, affect and the politics of feeling in neoliberal times

While emotions have been a long-standing topic within feminist discussions of men and masculinities, the last decade has seen a growing interest, theoretically and empirically, in research on affect and emotion within CSMM. Emotions are of vital importance to both how masculinities are experienced and in terms of gendered, sexualized, classed and racialized power relations; they are produced and circulate through culture, discourses, and between bodies.

In this session, emotionalities and masculinities are discussed both conceptually and empirically, and in relation to pressing political challenges, including critiques of neoliberalism, the anthropocene, “father’s rights”, and anti-gender-equality movements. The affective politics of ageing, and various inequalities will be discussed, as will constructions of emotions as excessive, “softening”, lacking, or in need of control. The session will specifically explore what emotions do for and to men’s bodies as well as how emotions are mobilised in narratives about men and masculinities.

“Emotions”, conceptually, are shaped by western notions of rationality and have often been seen as irrepressible forces from within, overflowing or exploding if restrained. As hiding or repression of emotions in and by men has been pronounced a “lethal aspect” of being a man, recent changes in western, middle-class masculine ideals have been hailed as progressive.

However, new emotional regimes and ideals risk yet again normalizing white, middle-class men; while “emotional competence” becomes more central within capitalism, previously “overly” emotional groups (working classes, BIPoC) might be deemed as simultaneously “too emotional” and not emotional enough. Concurrently, we may also be witnessing the emergence of “feeling rules” and “technologies of self” whose relation to men and masculinities call for further research.

Language: English.

Participants:

Martin Hultman (Chalmers University of Technology): Turning the tide with Masculinities? Contending with the (m)Anthropocene

Katarzyna Wojnicka (Gothenburg University): Affective politics in the European fatherhood activism Jonas Mollwing (Umeå University): The role of emotions in men’s pro- and antifeminist engagement

Linn Sandberg (Södertörn University): Fear of ageing? Anxiety, vulnerability and embodiment in men’s autofictional narratives about ageing

Sam de Boise (Örebro University): The Age of rage? Mapping the politics of emotions in CSMM

Klara Goedecke (Stockholm University): Producing emotions: Neoliberalism, feeling rules, and gender politics in men’s gambling.

Klara Goedecke1 and Sam De Boise2

1FD, Forskare, Institutionen För Etnologi, Religionshistoria Och Genusvetenskap, Stockholms Universitet

2Docent, Universitetslektor, Musikhögskolan, Örebro Universitet