Analyzing Gender within Men’s Anti-Violence Activism

• In Event: 463 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 24. Violence Against Women Activism

Abstract

This research focuses on investigating feminist men’s positionalities within the context of anti-violence organizations aimed at addressing violence against women. My study particularly looks at feminist men’s use of male privilege and expressions of masculinity within an anti- violence organization on a college campus. Although the men in my study engage in violence prevention work and often discuss male privilege as a lead culprit of gender inequality, I suggest that men still use traditional expressions of masculinity and male privilege to appeal to other male student body on campus. By using feminist- oriented ethnographic field observations and in-depth interviewing, I attempt to illustrate the variability of masculine gender expressions and the use of privilege experienced by feminist men on and off their college campus. I suggest that feminist men receive varying degrees of praise as well as criticism from their female and male peers through context-specific situations which allows them to determine when or how to use their privilege and exert their masculinity. Through this study, I hope to add to the discussion pertaining to feminist men’s efforts to end violence against women.

Author

• Jessica Christine Moronez, University of California-Riverside