Abstract
As homosociality and friendship research has shown, same-sex relations are equally important to gendered power relations as those between genders. In Destabilising Masculinism, based on interviews with Australian sons and fathers, Brittany Ralph argues that there has been significant change in men’s friendships and, correspondingly, in men’s relationships with masculinist discourse.
Ralph leads off with two chapters outlining methodological and theoretical points of departure. The aim of her study is to “ascertain how and why change is occurring in Australian men’s friendships, and whether it stems from a broader shift towards more socio-positive masculinities” (p. 11). Situating her work in the debate between inclusive masculinity theory and hegemonic and hybrid masculinities, she attempts to exemplify a “flexible, middle-ground approach to conceptualising change in masculinities” (p. 31). Ralph knowledgeably outlines this debate, which serves as the backdrop and main research context of the study; friendship and homosociality research are less visible. Drawing on Andrea Waling’s and Stephen Whitehead’s work, Ralph employs poststructuralist perspectives to study “masculinist discourse”, which she sees as intimately connected to how men practice same-sex friendships.
Four empirical chapters follow; three of them are organized chronologically, exploring friendships in the fathers’ early lives, their later lives, and lastly in the son’s lives. The fathers have gone from not talking about emotions, expressing emotions, or hugging in their early lives to being able to talk about and express emotions and hug their men friends. However, self-reliance remains salient throughout. Contrastingly, the sons communicate that they are
Ralph’s book, based on her PhD thesis, is well-written, accessible, and based on an innovative fieldwork, resulting in a fascinating interview material. Focused on emotionality, meanings, and practices of friendship, the material captures crucial aspects of masculine positions, key to understanding gendered and other power relations. Frustratingly, one of the most promising aspects of the research design is not taken advantage of: the fathers and sons are treated largely as two age cohorts (although see p. 140). Thus, opportunities to investigate intergenerational biographies, tracing “masculinist discourses” within specific father-son constellations, and addressing friendship as embedded in other gendered social, and familial affinities are lost. Relatedly, the “friendship maps” that were seemingly constructed during the interviews (see pp. 117, 146) raise curiosity. While Ralph provides rich insights into the lived experiences of her interviewees, her unique material might offer opportunities for further publications.
Throughout, Ralph discusses masculinist discourses which she separates from “feminist, queer-inclusion, and therapeutic” discourses, seen as “socio-negative” and “socio-positive” respectively. A limitation of this approach is that feminist, queer-inclusion and therapeutic discourses are grouped together; in the conclusion (p. 179–180) the pairing of these is presented as an inductive result but in the analyses the feminist/queer-inclusion/therapeutic discourse is used as a point of departure. Additionally, masculinist and feminist/queer-inclusion/therapeutic discourses become notably solid and stable, especially so as they are the only two discussed in any depth; over the course of the book, they form almost a dichotomy. Tensions between, for instance, therapeutic and feminist discourses are subsumed by this dichotomy and other discourses potentially relevant to understanding the material disappear which impacts both nuance and depth of the analyses.
Relatedly, the “feminist poststructuralist” and “feminist critical discourse analysis” approaches could have been explicated further and their epistemological implications implemented more meticulously. The concluding chapter of the book reiterates the benefits of the poststructuralist approach, thus centering it, surprisingly, as the book’s main contribution. A deeper engagement with preexisting poststructuralist and discursive works within CSMM might have clarified this aspect.
Importantly, Ralph reinstates friendship as a fundamentally political relationship and as intimately connected to change in gender relations. Despite the ambition to establish a “middle-ground”, interpretations tend towards optimism: The therapeutic discourse and emotionality in men are viewed as “socio-positive” as is friendship itself. Thus, the close relation between therapeutism and capitalism is not discussed, neither are the problems of idealizing friendship or men’s emotional expressivity and talk of emotions. Entering into dialogue with these debates would have enriched the book; relatedly, in-depth dialogue with previous research on homosociality, friendship, friendship and therapeutism, and men’s friendship (not least with those interesting texts that stem from Australia/NZ, by e.g. Karina Butera, Timothy Barrett, and Maree Martinussen & Margaret Wetherell), would have clarified its contributions further. Despite this, Destabilising masculinism enriches CSMM research: Ralph’s passion for her subject inspires the reader and provides insight into friendships and emotionalities among two generations of Australian men.