XY: On Masculine Identity [Paperback]

Elisabeth Badinter (Author), Lydia Davis (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0231084358 | ISBN-13: 978-0231084352

Examining changing role models for masculine identity--from cowboy in the 1950s to Terminator in the 1990s, from flesh-and-blood man to machine--this book suggests that men need new role models and that sufficient room needs to be left for the expression of male vulnerability, a psychic space that would accept attitudes and behaviors traditionally labeled as "feminine." This new model, Badinter argues, may reduce the profound effects of homophobia and misogyny.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Examines masculinity from a historical and psychological perspective, lingering on how society's and men's attitudes toward homosexuality have changed over the years.... The subject... is well researched and skillfully presented.

(New York Times Book Review )

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231084358
• ISBN-13: 978-0231084352
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,848,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A feminist we can talk with and about, September 6, 2006

By 

G. Stucco "mr guido" (usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: XY: On Masculine Identity (Paperback)

One of the theses upheld in the book is that one is born a woman, but one becomes a man. To begin with, there is a biological "struggle" waged by some embryos in the womb to differentiate and assert their masculine gender identity (p. 32-33); this struggle will continue outside the womb when the boys will be expected to act like men and not to behave like a "girl". The next step in establishing masculine identity consists in the rejection of homosexuality and femininity: a boy will learn to become a man by not being "queer" and by shedding traces of femininity in his social relationships. Badinter explores the role of cruel initiation rites in ancient and tribal societies aimed at turning boys into men by shedding any trace of feminization in their upbringing (70-74, 94).
The author discusses the way homosexuality was conceived of (i.e., tolerated, respected) in the ancient world (see Plutarch's Life of Pelopidas) and how there were no symptoms of "homophobia."
Badinter does a convincing job in showing how the legacy of patriarchy, that malevolent, dysfunctional system, engendered "mutilated men", so much so that not only women, but men as well are its victims.
The role of the Mentor 85,86
Aurelio p. 44, 63, 66
Describes the man filled with self-hatred, who rejects his gender identity and its legacy (like those losers at Harvard). Describes the "tough guy" and the "soft man" archetypes and urges the need to go beyond these two poles toward the "reconciled man" (Jungian view): the ANDROGYNE, a man who not simultaneously, but alternatively takes on masculine and feminine roles (p.166)
Criticizes Bly and men' movement (p.152)
Values p. 184