(RAS1) Masculinities and Hate in Authoritarian Times

New patterns in global politics have emerged in the past two decades, with a striking resurgence and re-making of gendered power. In Europe and the Americas, an authoritarian white masculinity has gained traction; in different ways in India, China and parts of the Muslim world, authoritarian leadership merges with religious and ethnic politics; in Egypt, Afghanistan and Myanmar military regimes are re-established. After a generation of worldwide change towards gender equality, a powerful though uneven backlash has developed. Not only straight men can be mobilized in support, but also people from a range of gender positions and sexual identities, including the white women who benefit from connection with bearers of authoritarian white masculinity. Some of the most toxic forms of masculinity are motivated by hate that can lead to crime. We need to understand how these patterns became possible, what support authoritarian masculinities have mobilized, their links to hate, and how they are contested. This invited session will feature discussions of authoritarian masculinities from an intersectional perspective to understand how hate enables specific forms of masculinities in authoritarian contexts.

Panelists:

• Raewyn Connell, Professor Emeritus, Sociology, University of Sydney
• Robert Innes, Indigenous Studies, McMaster University
• Andrey Kasimov and Melanie Heath, Sociology, McMaster University
• Jillian Sunderland, University of Toronto

Tags: Gender, Politics

Organizer: Melanie Heath, McMaster University