Citation

Hebert LA. J. Gend. Stud. 2007; 16(1): 31-45.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/09589230601116141

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Contemporary feminists across the theoretical spectrum are preoccupied with the question of how to negotiate differences amongst women globally, but the attention of feminists to ‘difference’ only goes so far. One line along which difference has not been adequately considered is gender itself. While there has been a surge in attention to men and masculinities across academic disciplines in recent years, this area of study continues to be dominated by male scholars, with many (female) feminists expressing concern that engaging the ‘man question’ threatens to obscure the persisting dominance of ‘men as a group’ over ‘women as a group’. Therefore, even when problematizing the very category ‘women’, feminists nonetheless remain narrowly fixed on women. Taking difference seriously, however, requires that feminist theorists more directly address how the locus of identity for both women and men shifts depending on context – thereby necessarily destabilizing the categories of ‘women’ and ‘men’ and implying the existence of multiple masculinities alongside the (already acknowledged and theorized) multiple femininities. While cognizant of the potential hazards of engaging the ‘man question’, recognizing the multiplicity of masculinities opens the possibility for the formation of trans-gender alliances that are in the direct interest of women.