New directions in gender theory, masculinity research, and gender politics*

Abstract

Gender must be understood as a domain of social practice with its own structure and dynamics. An outline of a relational account of gender is given, emphasizing the multiple structures of gender and the way bodies are drawn into social practice. Emerging research on masculinity can best be understood through such an approach, which allows the multiplicity of masculinities, and their interrelations, to be traced. Two case studies are outlined: theoretical work on the relations between masculinities and state institutions, and field research on working‐class masculinities under structural unemployment.