
ERIC Number: EJ703430
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0037-7996
EISSN: N/A
"A Man's Gotta Do What a Man's Gotta Do!" Masculinity and Manhood in Social Studies Education
Hewitt, William L.
Social Studies, v95 n2 p83 Mar-Apr 2004
Men in the United States are products of society's assumptions about what it means to "be a man." Throughout American history, these assumptions have supported aggression, conflict, and war. Seeing American troops in Iraq conjures comparisons not only to past military ventures but also to the changing face of the masculine warrior. One might see television images of smiling soldiers in T-shirts and camouflage trousers, and those images often include women soldiers. In fact, most students know one soldier by name--Jessica Lynch. Contrast this with images of American warriors from the Spanish American War. Historian Leo Braudy (2003), in his study From Chivalry to Terrorism: War and the Changing Nature of Masculinity, traces the changing definitions of manhood from Homer to the Crusades to the Gulf War and cites those changes as being as different as the tomahawk from the Tomahawk Missile. He finds that social, cultural, and technological changes have shaped, and reshaped, definitions and perceptions of manhood. What is evident is a need for the specific study of manhood and masculinity in secondary curriculums.
Descriptors: Definitions, Masculinity, United States History, Males, Secondary Education, Social Studies
Springer-Verlag New York, LLC., Journal Fulfillment, P.O. Box 2485, Secaucus, NJ 07096. Tel: 800-777-4643 (Toll Free); Fax: 201-348-4505; Web site: http://www.springeronline.com.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A