Abrasive, Soft and Ecological

The book in an innovative way interconnects theology, media and politics in order to understand masculinity in terms of everydayness, virtual circulations, cinematic projections, musical ramifications and political assertions. It not only opposes toxic Indian masculinity, but also counterposes the vulnerable masculinities of feminine men and proposes reviving ecomasculinity and such other habitable masculinities. The book tries to understand abrasive masculinity as a muscular mentality that drives Indian men to act in certain stereotyped ways.

Beginning with the anxiety of intimacy that an abrasive muscular mentality creates in relation to Indian men’s belongingness with those who are projected as Other—women and queer people—the volume tries to understand the theological roots of abrasive masculinity along with its routed mediatized avatars. Thereafter, it shifts its focus to the vulnerable masculinity of soft men who are victimized on account of their effeminacy. In an intersectional mode, the plight of both feminine cisgender and gay men is critically discerned. The book concludes with the counterculture of Indian YouTuber men who are detoxifying the mediatized Movement for Men’s Rights in India, along with revisiting the ecomasculine folk culture of indigenous India. The author argues that in opposition to the culture of cancelling masculinity, a habitable masculinity may be unfolded in order to enhance the social habitability of individuals irrespective of their gender and sexuality. It deploys social media, film, music, literature, folk narratives and personal interviews as a means of interconnecting qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

The book will be useful for students, researchers, and teachers from the fields of Gender Studies, Media Studies, Sociology and Cultural Studies. It will also appeal to those interested in the culture of masculinities in India.