A History of Masculinity

What does it mean to be a good man? To be a good father, or a good partner? A good brother, or a good friend?

In this urgent, clear-sighted analysis, social historian Ivan Jablonka offers a re-examination of the patriarchy and a new way of thinking about masculinity. Ranging widely across cultures, from Mesopotamia to Confucianism to Christianity to the revolutions of the eighteenth century, Jablonka uncovers the origins of our patriarchal societies. He then offers a new model of masculinity based on a theory of gender justice, which aims for a redistribution of gender, just as social justice demands the redistribution of wealth.

Arguing that it is high time for men to be as involved in gender justice as women, Jablonka shows that in order to build a more equal and respectful society, we must gain a deeper understanding of the structure of patriarchy - and form new masculinities that define themselves by the rights of women. Widely acclaimed in France, this is a landmark work from a major thinker.