Are Men Animals?, Matthew Gutmann
Are Men Animals?, Matthew Gutmann
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Are Men Animals?
How Modern Masculinity Sells Men Short

Author: Matthew Gutmann

Narrator: Aaron Abano

Unabridged: 10 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 11/12/2019


Synopsis

"Boys will be boys," the saying goes -- but what does that actually mean? A leading anthropologist investigates
Why do men behave the way they do? Is it their male brains? Surging testosterone? From vulgar locker-room talk to mansplaining to sexual harassment, society is too quick to explain male behavior in terms of biology.
In Are Men Animals?, anthropologist Matthew Gutmann argues that predatory male behavior is in no way inevitable. Men behave the way they do because culture permits it, not because biology demands it. To prove this, he embarks on a global investigation of masculinity. Exploring everything from the gender-bending politics of American college campuses to the marriage markets of Shanghai and the women-only subway cars of Mexico City, Gutmann shows just how complicated masculinity can be. The result isn't just a new way to think about manhood. It's a guide to a better life, for all of us.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Robert on February 06, 2020

I was hoping that this book brought more than a simple, no. As in, we are not our biology. There is no real alternate explanation except that epigenetics is the new phlogiston. Maybe I am being a bit harsh. But instead of flogging Trump, Peterson and Pinker, time could have been spent pulling apart......more

Goodreads review by Blane W. Yelton Jr on June 19, 2021

The author makes many valid points, but at times, draws conclusions that don’t necessarily follow from the facts presented. Overall, this is a thought provoking book worth reading.......more

Goodreads review by Glenn on April 15, 2024

A brief summary of this book: Are men animals? No, they are not. Stop saying "boys will be boys". Stop using bad science to imply men can't change. Men are not bound by biology to be violent or unfaithful. Believe in us.......more


Quotes

"Gutmann does more than deconstruct simplistic notions of masculinity-he offers us a better vision of what it means to be masculine. He knows we can do better, and create anew a reality where masculinity and humanity comingle instead of conflict. This book is wholly appropriate for this moment in time."Agustín Fuentes, Edmund P. Joyce C.S.C. Professor ofAnthropology at University of Notre Dame and author of The CreativeSpark

"Everything men (and women) do in our society is the product of both biology and culture. As ably explained by Matthew Gutmann in this lively and enlightening book, this means that male behavior is hardly immutable. It has more degrees of freedom than often assumed."—Frans de Waal, C. H.Candler Professor of Psychology at Emory University and author of Mama'sLast Hug and What They Tell Us About Ourselves

"Are men animals? Well yes, but so are we all. How much does that explain about male behavior? Not much, according to Gutmann, compared to the dominant role of social and cultural factors in male sexuality and aggression. This is a powerful and important work."
Sherry Ortner, distinguished professor of anthropology at UCLA

"We need a national conversation about whether our cultural expectations of men have made them into the animals we believe them to be. Can men be less aggressive, less sexual and less dominant? This provocative book argues strongly that the answer is yes. This is a golden moment to begin that conversation."—TM Luhrmann, professor of anthropology, Stanford University