Moving men, changing men, othering men: On Politics, Care and Representation

In recent years, there has been a large, perhaps surprising, growth of critical studies on men and masculinities, across the humanities and social sciences, and to a more limited extent in the natural sciences and technology, along with a variety of political and policy interventions on men and masculinities. In this paper, I examine some of the ways in which a critical gendered focus on men and masculinities can both re-centre men and de-centre men, paying particular attention to the central themes of politics, representation and care. A key challenge is how to name men and masculinities, and at the same time deconstruct men and masculinities, to avoid potential re-centrings of power, at the local, national and transnational levels. Finally, and in these contexts and with these contradictions, I consider the possibilities and pitfalls of the abolition of “men” as social category of power, with special reference to questions of age, ageing and the body.