American Masculinities

"This is a highly recommended purchase for undergraduate, medium-sized, and large public libraries wishing to provide a substantial introduction to the field of men's studies."
--Reference & User Services Quarterly

"Pleasing layout and good cross-references make Carroll's compendium a welcome addition to collections serving readers of all ages. Highly recommended."
--CHOICE

"An excellent index, well-chosen photographs and illustrations, and an extensive bibliography add further value. American Masculinities is well worth what would otherise be too hefty a price for many libraries because no other encyclopedia comes close to covering this growing field so well."
--American Reference Books Annual

American Masculinities: A Historical Encyclopedia is a first-of-its-kind reference, detailing developments in the growing field of men’s studies. This up-to-date analytical review serves as a marker of how the field has evolved over the last decade, especially since the 1993 publication of Anthony Rotundo’s American Manhood. This seminal book opened new vistas for exploration and research into American History, society, and culture.

Weaving the fabric of American history, American Masculinities illustrates how American political leaders have often used the rhetoric of manliness to underscore the presumed moral righteousness and ostensibly protective purposes of their policies. Seeing U.S. history in terms of gender archetypes, readers will gain a richer and deeper understanding of America’s democratic political system, domestic and foreign policies, and capitalist economic system, as well as the "private" sphere of the home and domestic life.

The contributors to American Masculinities share the assumption that men’s lives have been grounded fundamentally in gender, that is, in their awareness of themselves as males. Their approach goes beyond scholarship which traditionally looks at men (and women) in terms of what they do and how they have influenced a given field or era. Rather, this important work delves into the psychological core of manhood which is shaped not only by biology, but also by history, society, and culture.

Encapsulating the current state of scholarly interpretation within the field of Men’s Studies, American Masculinities: A Historical Encyclopedia is designed to help students and scholars advance their studies, develop new questions for research, and stimulate new ways of exploring the history of American life.

- Reader’s Guide facilitates browsing by topic and easy access to information

- Extensive name, place, and concept index gives users an additional means of locating topics of interest

- More than 250 entries, each with suggestions for further reading

- Cross references direct users to related information

- Comprehensive bibliography includes a list of sources organized by categories in the field

- Arts, Literature, and Popular Culture

- Body, Health, and Sexuality

- Class, Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Identities

- Concepts and Theories

- Family and Fatherhood

- General History

- Icons and Symbols

- Leisure and Work

- Movements and Organizations

- People

- Political and Social Issues

Bret E. Carroll is Associate Professor of History at California State University, Stanislaus. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1991. He is author of The Routledge Historical Atlas of Religion in America (1997), Spiritualism in Antebellum America (1997), and several articles on nineteenth-century masculinity.