The masculinity-in-crisis narrative is now familiar terrain for sociologists and cultural commentators. It is also a mobilising point for a type of nationalist politics associated with the alt-Right. The narrative is not new. It seems to resurface in periods of war or economic crisis where there is income insecurity, labour-market instability and a cultural fear of symbols of the 'foreign', variously located in immigration, race or gender. In uncertain and precarious times, it should not…
Notes towards a different reading of George Pell The death of Bruno Ganz in February 2019 brought to mind a scene from his memorable performance in Downfall in which he portrayed Hitler's trembling hands, carefully hidden behind his back as he greeted members of the Hitler Youth. This depiction came to mind when media cameras caught something of George Pell's frailty as he was being escorted to and from his recent trial. A semblance of…
Like Arena, the sociology of social movements is fifty years old. As in social movement theory, the nature, structure, contexts, theoretical conflicts and consequences of social movement activity have been debated continuously in and by Arena. It would be difficult to do justice to the scope and intensity of Arena's intellectual engagement with social movements and the questions provoked by both new and old forms of collective action. Any investigation, by definition, would be partial…
An examination of how the realities of motherhood have influenced feminist thought is presented. There has been an active forgetting of the nurturing mother in feminist recall, which is a profound cultural significance and this is due to the complex political stakes and meanings bound up with what a culture remembers and forgets.
Corporate imperatives and choicefeminism reshaping motherhood. 'Freeze your eggs and free your career', the April 2014 cover of 'Bloomberg Businessweek' proclaims. A young female executive in a defiant stance is pictured above the statement that there is a new fertility procedure giving women 'more choices in the quest to have it all'. Apple and Facebook are said to be leading the way in offering financial support for their employees to access fertility services as part…
