The Nature of Masculinity

Critical Theory, New Materialisms, and Technologies of Embodiment

Social theorists have argued that as the complexity of our ecosystems becomes more apparent, the line between nature and culture, human and nonhuman, and technology and bodies becomes less distinct. Yet contemporary masculinity studies has generally failed to incorporate this new way of thinking. In this penetrating analysis of the relationship between gender and nature, Steve Garlick proposes that masculinity is best understood as a technology that shapes both our engagement with the natural world and how we define freedom.

Extending the work of the Frankfurt School and Heidegger’s critique of modern technology, The Nature of Masculinity draws on case studies and new materialist theories to argue that the essence of technology is not in mechanical devices but in a particular relationship to natural forces. Within this critical framework, masculinity is a technology of embodiment, and freedom does not lie in the domination of nature but rather in fostering a new relation to it.