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Extremism and toxic masculinity: the man question re-posed

Elizabeth Pearson Orcid Logo

International Affairs, Volume: 95, Issue: 6, Pages: 1251 - 1270

Swansea University Author: Elizabeth Pearson Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1093/ia/iiz177

Abstract

It is more than 20 years since Zalewski and feminist scholars posed ‘the Man question’ in International Relations, repositioning the gaze from female subjectivities to a problematization of the subjecthood of man. The field of masculinity studies has developed this initial question to a deep interro...

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Published in: International Affairs
ISSN: 0020-5850 1468-2346
Published: London Oxford University Press (OUP) 2019
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa51356
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first_indexed 2019-08-09T16:32:07Z
last_indexed 2020-06-26T19:02:45Z
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fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2020-06-26T16:30:39.8345859</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>51356</id><entry>2019-08-08</entry><title>Extremism and toxic masculinity: the man question re-posed</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>b849177199f7a9a44ddecec011c4bf92</sid><ORCID>0000-0003-0918-6107</ORCID><firstname>Elizabeth</firstname><surname>Pearson</surname><name>Elizabeth Pearson</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2019-08-08</date><deptcode>CSSP</deptcode><abstract>It is more than 20 years since Zalewski and feminist scholars posed &#x2018;the Man question&#x2019; in International Relations, repositioning the gaze from female subjectivities to a problematization of the subjecthood of man. The field of masculinity studies has developed this initial question to a deep interrogation of the relationship between maleness and violence. Yet public and policy discourse often reduce the complexity of masculinities within extremism to issues of crisis and toxicity. Governments have prioritised the prevention of extremism, particularly violent Islamism, and in so doing have produced as &#x2018;risk&#x2019; particular racialized and marginalized men. This article asks, what are the effects of the toxic masculinity discourse in understanding the British radical right? It argues that current understandings of extremism neglect the central aim of Zalewski&#x2019;s &#x2018;Man&#x2019; question to destabilise the field and deconstruct patriarchy. They instead position Islamophobia &#x2013; which is institutionalised in state discourse - as the responsibility of particular &#x2018;extreme&#x2019; and &#x2018;toxic&#x2019; groups. In particular, the piece outlines two ways in which &#x2018;toxic masculinity&#x2019; is an inadequate concept to describe activism in the anti-Islam(ist) movement the English Defence League (EDL). First, the term &#x2018;toxic masculinity&#x2019; occludes the continuities of EDL masculinities with wider patriarchal norms; second, it neglects the role of women as significant actors in the movement. Using an ethnographic and empathetic approach to this case study, the piece explores how Zalewski&#x2019;s theoretical position offers a route to analysis of the ways in which masculinities and patriarchy entwine in producing power and violence; and to a discussion of masculinities that need not equate manhood with threat.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>International Affairs</journal><volume>95</volume><journalNumber>6</journalNumber><paginationStart>1251</paginationStart><paginationEnd>1270</paginationEnd><publisher>Oxford University Press (OUP)</publisher><placeOfPublication>London</placeOfPublication><issnPrint>0020-5850</issnPrint><issnElectronic>1468-2346</issnElectronic><keywords>extremism, radical right, EDL, masculinity, gender, Zalewski</keywords><publishedDay>30</publishedDay><publishedMonth>11</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2019</publishedYear><publishedDate>2019-11-30</publishedDate><doi>10.1093/ia/iiz177</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>CSSP</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><degreesponsorsfunders>ESRC</degreesponsorsfunders><apcterm/><lastEdited>2020-06-26T16:30:39.8345859</lastEdited><Created>2019-08-08T13:35:22.0518815</Created><authors><author><firstname>Elizabeth</firstname><surname>Pearson</surname><orcid>0000-0003-0918-6107</orcid><order>1</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>51356__15804__3d175ecfd28d49159515fc5dcfe10c64.pdf</filename><originalFilename>51356.Gold VOR.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2019-11-06T16:39:45.5069710</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>345945</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Version of Record</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>Distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY) Licence.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><licence>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2020-06-26T16:30:39.8345859 v2 51356 2019-08-08 Extremism and toxic masculinity: the man question re-posed b849177199f7a9a44ddecec011c4bf92 0000-0003-0918-6107 Elizabeth Pearson Elizabeth Pearson true false 2019-08-08 CSSP It is more than 20 years since Zalewski and feminist scholars posed ‘the Man question’ in International Relations, repositioning the gaze from female subjectivities to a problematization of the subjecthood of man. The field of masculinity studies has developed this initial question to a deep interrogation of the relationship between maleness and violence. Yet public and policy discourse often reduce the complexity of masculinities within extremism to issues of crisis and toxicity. Governments have prioritised the prevention of extremism, particularly violent Islamism, and in so doing have produced as ‘risk’ particular racialized and marginalized men. This article asks, what are the effects of the toxic masculinity discourse in understanding the British radical right? It argues that current understandings of extremism neglect the central aim of Zalewski’s ‘Man’ question to destabilise the field and deconstruct patriarchy. They instead position Islamophobia – which is institutionalised in state discourse - as the responsibility of particular ‘extreme’ and ‘toxic’ groups. In particular, the piece outlines two ways in which ‘toxic masculinity’ is an inadequate concept to describe activism in the anti-Islam(ist) movement the English Defence League (EDL). First, the term ‘toxic masculinity’ occludes the continuities of EDL masculinities with wider patriarchal norms; second, it neglects the role of women as significant actors in the movement. Using an ethnographic and empathetic approach to this case study, the piece explores how Zalewski’s theoretical position offers a route to analysis of the ways in which masculinities and patriarchy entwine in producing power and violence; and to a discussion of masculinities that need not equate manhood with threat. Journal Article International Affairs 95 6 1251 1270 Oxford University Press (OUP) London 0020-5850 1468-2346 extremism, radical right, EDL, masculinity, gender, Zalewski 30 11 2019 2019-11-30 10.1093/ia/iiz177 COLLEGE NANME Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy COLLEGE CODE CSSP Swansea University ESRC 2020-06-26T16:30:39.8345859 2019-08-08T13:35:22.0518815 Elizabeth Pearson 0000-0003-0918-6107 1 51356__15804__3d175ecfd28d49159515fc5dcfe10c64.pdf 51356.Gold VOR.pdf 2019-11-06T16:39:45.5069710 Output 345945 application/pdf Version of Record true Distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY) Licence. true https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Extremism and toxic masculinity: the man question re-posed
spellingShingle Extremism and toxic masculinity: the man question re-posed
Elizabeth Pearson
title_short Extremism and toxic masculinity: the man question re-posed
title_full Extremism and toxic masculinity: the man question re-posed
title_fullStr Extremism and toxic masculinity: the man question re-posed
title_full_unstemmed Extremism and toxic masculinity: the man question re-posed
title_sort Extremism and toxic masculinity: the man question re-posed
author_id_str_mv b849177199f7a9a44ddecec011c4bf92
author_id_fullname_str_mv b849177199f7a9a44ddecec011c4bf92_***_Elizabeth Pearson
author Elizabeth Pearson
author2 Elizabeth Pearson
format Journal article
container_title International Affairs
container_volume 95
container_issue 6
container_start_page 1251
publishDate 2019
institution Swansea University
issn 0020-5850
1468-2346
doi_str_mv 10.1093/ia/iiz177
publisher Oxford University Press (OUP)
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description It is more than 20 years since Zalewski and feminist scholars posed ‘the Man question’ in International Relations, repositioning the gaze from female subjectivities to a problematization of the subjecthood of man. The field of masculinity studies has developed this initial question to a deep interrogation of the relationship between maleness and violence. Yet public and policy discourse often reduce the complexity of masculinities within extremism to issues of crisis and toxicity. Governments have prioritised the prevention of extremism, particularly violent Islamism, and in so doing have produced as ‘risk’ particular racialized and marginalized men. This article asks, what are the effects of the toxic masculinity discourse in understanding the British radical right? It argues that current understandings of extremism neglect the central aim of Zalewski’s ‘Man’ question to destabilise the field and deconstruct patriarchy. They instead position Islamophobia – which is institutionalised in state discourse - as the responsibility of particular ‘extreme’ and ‘toxic’ groups. In particular, the piece outlines two ways in which ‘toxic masculinity’ is an inadequate concept to describe activism in the anti-Islam(ist) movement the English Defence League (EDL). First, the term ‘toxic masculinity’ occludes the continuities of EDL masculinities with wider patriarchal norms; second, it neglects the role of women as significant actors in the movement. Using an ethnographic and empathetic approach to this case study, the piece explores how Zalewski’s theoretical position offers a route to analysis of the ways in which masculinities and patriarchy entwine in producing power and violence; and to a discussion of masculinities that need not equate manhood with threat.
published_date 2019-11-30T04:03:12Z
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score 11.012678

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