Men, Masculinities and Religious Change in Twentieth-Century Britain

This path-breaking multi-faith, multi-disciplinary collection explores the impact of religion on the formation of men and masculinities in twentieth-century Britain. Contributions engage with the major religious denominations including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, New Religious Movements and no-religionism, and combine methodological insights from the history of religion and masculinity studies with theology, psychology, film studies, cultural theory and sociology. Religion is explored well beyond the traditional boundaries of church worship and institutional structures to encompass the diverse cultures of male sexuality, home life, war, work, immigration, leisure and sectarian politics. Issues of change, such as the decline of single-sex associational settings, the theological shifts and changing fortunes of sects, the varying visibility of queer and homosexual cultures, and the shifting boundaries and collapsing distinctions between clergy and laypeople are explored in depth. This volume presents cutting-edge perspectives on dominant accounts of masculinity, secularisation and modernity, and suggests a significant rethinking of the narrative turning-points in modern British religious history and the history of masculinities.