Patriarchy&Masculinity

Mondays at 4:30pm

CMHA meeting room, 147 Wyndham St. Room #309

Matt Soltys and I are facilitating a men's discussion group about patriarchy and masculinity for the spring/summer. We're hoping to have a group of men willing to meet and talk about the ways that we participate in patriarchy and how it is in our interest to understand and unlearn the ways we've been socialized. We want to discuss the way that patriarchy effects our interactions with women as well as the way we relate to other men and ourselves.

Here are some of our goals with this course:

--To encourage men to talk about ways we've been socialized and how we perpetuate patriarchy. To encourage men to engage with each other in honest and open ways. To allow ourselves to be vulnerable in front of other men.

--To be supportive of each other, but also to challenge each other. We don't want to merely talk about these issues, but to develop/discuss/commit to tools for change and ways we can become better allies in the fight against patriarchy.

--To not merely analyze individual relationships, but tie personal experiences into the broader scope of things. To talk about these issues both systemically and personally.

There are so few places for men to gather to talk about this stuff. And because we don't have much practice discussing some of these issues it is important that we feel safe to screw up. In the process of honestly talking about what it means to be a man in this society, we need to talk about things that are scary. While we must all be willing to confront each other as problems arise, it is important that we do so in a way that is as non-judgmental and productive as possible. We are all here to learn, entering the class with very diverse experience and knowledge.

The class is open to men and transgendered folks who have experienced or are experiencing life as a male.

Here are some readings that we've decided on:

Week # 1

"Understanding Patriarchy" [pg 17-33] by bell hooks from The Will to Change

Week #2

" " by Inga Muscio from Cunt

Week #3: Sexual violence and being a good ally

"Taking the First Step" [pg 40-44] by wispy cockles from Sexual Assualt in Activist Communities Peak, Volume 36.1

"Non-violence: Ways to Challenge Violence Against Women as a Male Ally" [pg 28-29] by Sarah Ferber from Violence Against Women Peak Volume 40.4

Week #4: The Myth of the Self-reliant Patriarch

"Men's Hidden Depression" [pg 21-41] by Terrence Real from I don't want to talk about it.

Week #5

"Hard & Soft" [pg 36-68] by Susan Bordo from The Male Body

Week #6: Patriarchy and Colonialism

"Sexual Violence as a Tool of Genocide" [pg 7-33] and "'Better dead than Pregnant': the Colonization of Native women's reproductive health" [pg 79-107] by Andrea Smith from Conquest

"Colonize this!" [17-28] by Cristina Tzintzun from Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism

Week # 7: Pornography

"Interview with a Rapist", "Confessions of a Feminist Porn Watcher" and "Is Porn Jerking you around" from Men Confront Porn

Other potential topics include:

--Mainstream images of feminine and masculine beauty --Queerness & Homophobia --Violence (in its overt and more subtle forms) --Monogamy, Polyamoury, Control & Relationships --Competition --Fathers --''The Men's Movement" --History of Patriarchy and its intersections (Race, Class, Colonialism,Civilization)