Unlocking the Iron Cage

The Men's Movement, Gender Politics, and American Culture

Author: Michael Schwalbe
ISBN: 9780195092295

The mythopoetic men's movement grew quietly for ten years before Roberts Bly's bestseller Iron John brought the movement to national attention. Reactions to the movement ranged from bemused or dismissive stories appearing in Sunday supplements and magazines, to outrageous lampoons on stage, to harsh criticism by many feminists. Bly and the mythopoetic claimed in turn to be misunderstood. What is the truth about these men and their movement? Why do these middle-class white men gather at rustic camps to beat drums, dance wildly, hold sweat lodge rituals, laugh and cry, and listen to old myths and fairy tales? Based on Michael Schwalbe's three years of experience as a participant and observer at over one hundred meetings, as well as on interviews with active members, Unlocking the Iron Cage provides a revealing look at who these men are, what they do, why mythopoetic activity appeals to them, what needs it fills, where it succeeds, and where it fails. Schwalbe illuminates the theory behin

Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publish Date: 1996-01-01

Subjects

This book is available in the following Community Centers: Women's Center (Location: Men/Masculinities)