Genders and Sexualities in the Social Sciences- Young Men Navigating Contemporary Masculinities

This book explores navigations of contemporary masculinities amongst young, advantaged men living in Australia and Germany.

"If masculinities are changing in the neoliberal era, where do we find the signs? Among young men, as Elliott shows in this intriguing study set in Germany and Australia. She shows the possibilities for greater openness in masculinities, especially at the social margins. But her interviews also show that privilege can be sustained, while fears of dependency and loss of authenticity remain."-Raewyn Connell, University of Sydney, Australia
“Theoretically novel and conceptually sophisticated, Elliott is exemplary in her offering of a combination of sympathy and critical engagement. This text provides a genuinely meaningful advance for, and challenge to, the field, convincingly arguing it’s very much time to move beyond the notion that privileged men are the vanguards of progressive change in respect of contemporary masculinities.” — Steven Roberts, Monash University, Australia

This book explores navigations of contemporary masculinities amongst young, advantaged men living in Australia and Germany. Taking an intersectional approach, the book argues that more open, egalitarian forms of masculinity, such as caring masculinities, are fostered by marginalised groups. Elliott investigates ways in which privileged men can move towards this openness alongside ongoing expressions of more traditional or regressive masculinity. Drawing on interviews, the book explores these navigations and the ways in which they are bound up with themes such as work, mobility, relationships, the privileges and pressures of masculinities, and the contradictions and difficulties of masculinities under neoliberalism. What is revealed is the need for change at individual, collective and structural levels, with care and openness amongst men as a means of achieving this change.
Young Men Navigating Contemporary Masculinities will be of interest to students and scholars in fields such as sociology, gender studies, critical studies on men and masculinities, and cultural studies.
Karla Elliott is a Lecturer in Sociology at the School of Social Sciences, Monash University, Australia.