Perché il femminismo serve anche agli uomini
(Why feminism is for men too) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
The main deception that society creates in men’s thoughts and actions is the illusion of their freedom. Men do not recognize themselves as victims of stereotypes or constraints. The dominant culture says that there is only one way to be a man. Men must be confident, authoritative, never show emotion or weakness, and can do whatever they want without ever having to ask. But the truth is that there are many ways to be a man, and they are all better than this one. The author offers us an alternative based on the fundamental reflections of feminist movements: most of the personal, relational, and professional problems that men have stem from the same patriarchal and hierarchical system that feminists have described and analyzed for years. And he shows us how these can also be useful to men in recognizing and deconstructing the power dynamics that constrain them in this situation.
Edited by: Centro MeTRa - Università di Bologna (Italy)
Comment:
Thanks to his explicit writing style, simple language, and concrete examples, Lorenzo Gasparrini once again manages to communicate with an audience that is not only male, sometimes in an ironic way, to explain how patriarchy and heterosexism exist and persist in our daily lives (and even in language), oppressing not only women. The book is aimed at readers of all ages and promotes intergenerational dialogue to demonstrate how deeply rooted pyramidal power roles are within us, in every aspect of our life. The author raises the serious social problem of misinformation, talks about the benefits of feminism for everyone and encourages gender equality, at the expense of the camaraderie practiced by many men. The latter is known as the exclusive possibility of interpersonal relationships and identity affirmation, which falls within the only socially recognized model of masculinity. Gasparrini focuses on the origins of male social privilege and demonstrates how being a feminist is by no means an ‘insult’ or a shame for men: it does not represent a loss of rights. Feminism offers a change of perspective and new insights into the life stories of others, which enrich us as human beings. Since there are many ways of being a man, the writer invites us to abandon the mask of patriarchy and polarized, binary thinking. Those represent typical patriarchal deceptions that delude men into obtaining an unreachable hierarchical power. Offering insights and tools for reflection, Lorenzo Gasparrini asks the question, “How can we be ourselves in a globalized world that penalizes nonconformity?” Gasparrini’s thinking is an invitation to choose new forms of masculinity that differ from the usual stereotypes that the patriarchal system sells us as limited editions, in which the display of insensitive and apathetic virility prevails. It is an invitation to feminism that includes all aspects of a person and an encouragement to move away from exclusionary separatism.