I am very glad to announce that Philosophy Unbound is dedicating its next evening to a topic that is particular important to me. In the last year I have been extensively delving into a research-field that can be summoned under the name 'masculinity studies'. I was quite surprised by how much important work there has already been done in this field and how dis-proportionally unknown their authors, discourses and acquired knowledge were even to me, an academically trained philosopher who identifies as a feminist. This of course reflects the status of this discourse in a larger, "intellectual mainstream media" habitat: whereas female roles, mechanisms of subjection, oppression and suppression are quite (though not necessarily enough) often a subject of debate, male roles, how they are established, enforced and dualistically constructed are much less a subject of public debate. This is sad, because it reflects a typical dynamic of a scheme of oppression: oppressed groups tend to be intellectually much more reflected than their oppressors.
If our goal is to work towards ending hegemonic masculinity (in the sense of
Raewyn Connell) a reflection on the constitution of masculinities is necessary. In a time of a certain neo-patriarchal backlash we need to understand how the success of a Trump, an Erdogan and - luckily not to the same extent, because he was defeated yesterday - Hofer (47% are still way too much) but as well how phenomena like Daesh or Breivik are related to masculinity - and how these two seemingly distinct phenomena correlate into a reinforcement of patriarchal structures: there is talk about a 'crisis of men' these days, but it seems, that those mechanisms of crisis are an essential part of a machine that is securing and re-actualizing male hegemony. To progress in the project of feminism (perhaps the most important discursive streams of the last centuries) we need to integrate male roles into our reflections. I whole-heartedly invite you to come to Spektakel and Celeste this Thursday and contribute in small parts to this important project - let us reflect and discuss masculinities and their dynamics.
Philosophy Unbound #14 will explore MASCULINITIES
In the name of Feminism, we call for a deconstruction of “the man“ and for male roles to be questioned and pluralized. What makes “a man”? To man-up or rather to learn how to cry? Why is the call for a “strong man” still appealing ? How do this topic’s lines of flight relate to conservative backlashes of sex-/gender- roles?
Performances @ Spektakel Hamburgerstrasse 14, 1050 Wien
Kakaonter Strajk
Rainer Mühlhoff
Egyröl Kettöre
Christoph Stuhlpfarrer u. fabiomaria.com
$andro + £aura
Thordis Wolf
Iris Julian
Open Stage!
Literature by Vanguardist (200 free editions to hand out!!), Wespennest and éngagée-Magazines
Doors: 19h
Start: 20h
Entry: Free Donation - Suggestion 5€
(We are a No-Budget Organisation: Everything will go to the performers.)
Afterparty @ Celeste Hamburgerstrasse 18, 1050 Wien
Jay Smoo (Glow/Service)
DJ Al-Serori Rodriguez (Pferde from outta space)
Start: 22h
Entry: Free Donation
