Toxic Masculinity in the Ancient World - (Intersectionality in Classical Antiquity) by Melanie Racette-Campbell & Aven McMaster

About the Book

Offers the first study of toxic masculinity in the context of ancient Greece and Rome

Book Synopsis

This book looks at a contemporary concept - toxic masculinity - and considers its usefulness for understanding the ancient Mediterranean world. By concentrating on the particular elements that make up this form of masculine behaviour and identity, briefly defined as a performance of masculinity that is harmful to people who should be protected, to one's community, or to oneself, we illuminate tensions and contradictions within Greek and Roman conceptions of gender, while tracing some origins of modern gender roles. This book also highlights the ways that texts and events from the ancient world are invoked in the construction of toxic masculinity today. Covering Athenian oratory and drama, Roman poetry and history, curse tablets, early Christian writing, Italian cinema, US politics, and more, this collection brings together the ancient and modern to ask what shapes a culture's understanding of masculinity and how to identify the aspects of that understanding that can cause harm.

Review Quotes

Through a creative use of the modern concept of 'toxic masculinity', this book explores ancient concepts and performances of the masculine. Its extensive range of studies shed light on the cultural specificity of both the ancient and modern ways in which masculinity can be abusive and hurtful to others and the self.--Ineke Sluiter, Leiden University