To Örebro University

In his (1976) article, The Inexpressive Male: Tragedy or Sexual Politics? Sattel made the case that men’s relative lack of emotional expression emerged as a direct result of, and helped to sustain, men’s social privilege. Feminist and profeminist campaigners have (rightly) cited an increasing understanding of men’s emotional lives, and getting men to understand their own emotions, as central to any project addressing gender inequality. Some scholars within Critical studies on Men and Masculinities (CSMM), too, have often made the case that men need to become ‘more emotional’.

Various authors have documented empirical research that argues, as a result of feminist gains, men are gradually getting ‘more in touch’ with their emotions, leading to a ‘softening’ of masculinity. There is a problem, however, with narratives around increasingly ‘more emotional’ men. These often fail to engage with literature on emotions and historical precedents of men being valued for displays of ‘authentic’ emotions - through music for instance – which have often supported privilege. In addition, assuming that men’s emotions are inherently gender-progressive, ignores more sinister examples of men’s rights activism, violence and online misogyny.

This paper argues for the need to engage critically with how we think about both emotions and a history of emotions, in relation to CSMM. Considering how emotions are put into language, as well as the mechanisms by which emotions are identified and understood, have an impact on how emotions and ‘emotional’ behaviour are characterized in both research and everyday life. Crucially, it is important to retain a focus on the embodied aspects of experience. We suggest distinguishing between emotions, affect and kindred concepts as a productive way to approach issues of power and embodied experience in CSMM. Focusing on these areas, this paper aims to contribute a critical analysis on a developing and much-needed area of research.