Southern Masculinity: Perspectives on Manhood in the South since Reconstruction

The follow-up to the critically acclaimed collection Southern Manhood: Perspectives on Masculinity in the Old South (Georgia, 2004), Southern Masculinity explores the contours of southern male identity from Reconstruction to the present. Twelve case studies document the changing definitions of southern masculine identity as understood in conjunction with identities based on race, gender, age, sexuality, and geography. After the Civil War, southern men crafted notions of manhood in opposition to northern ideals of masculinity and as counterpoint to southern womanhood. At the same time, manliness in the South—as understood by individuals and within communities—retained and transformed antebellum conceptions of honor and mastery. This collection examines masculinity with respect to Reconstruction, the New South, racism, southern womanhood, the Sunbelt, gay rights, and the rise of the Christian Right. Familiar figures such as Arthur Ashe are investigated from fresh angles, while other essays plumb new areas such as the womanless wedding and Cherokee masculinity.

About the Author :
CRAIG THOMPSON FRIEND is an associate professor of history and Director of Public History at North Carolina State University. He is coeditor of Southern Manhood: Perspectives on Masculinity in the Old South (Georgia).

Review :
This collection of well-researched and well-written essays, however, is more than a companion piece to Southern Manhood. It adds rich texture and nuance to the body of scholarship about American manhood and masculinity through its regional focus and attention to multiple markers of identity. If W. J. Cash were alive today, he would rejoice that this exciting volume continues the long-standing effort, one that he began, to make sense of a Christ- and honor-haunted, racially charged, and conservative culture. These fresh and insightful essays reveal just how much the 'New South' owed to the spirit of the old while only partially incorporating more modern ideas and ideals. Southern Masculinity will take its worthy place next to the other classic studies of this often misapprehended region. Analytically interesting and empirically rich, these very strong essays form a fine companion to Southern Manhood. A successful venture and a fascinating opening into the complex ideals of masculinity as they were imagined and acted out. In Southern Masculinity, editor Craig Thompson Friend pulls together a set of essays which examine the layered, interwoven and fragmented histories of American men of the South, which reflect the movement leading up to the modern period of ‘conservative resurgence’ and rebellion we find our country in today. It offers the accessibility needed for students while providing the depth of insight and intriguing lines of study for more senior scholars. Southern Masculinity should be on the shelf of those hoping to understand the many styles of manhood in the American South.