Michael Kimmel

Michael Kimmel
Born February 26, 1951
New York City, United States
Nationality American
Alma mater Vassar College (B.A.)
Brown University (M.A.)
University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D.)
Occupation Sociologist
Years active 1982–present
Employer Stony Brook University
Known for Writings on gender studies, men's studies, masculinities, men and feminism
Website
creativepromotionsagency.com/mk/

Michael Scott Kimmel (born February 26, 1951)[1] is an American sociologist, specializing in gender studies. He holds the position of Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the Stony Brook University in New York and is the founder and editor of the academic journal Men and Masculinities.[2] Kimmel is a spokesperson of the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS)[3] and a longtime feminist.[4] In 2013 he founded the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities at Stony Brook University, where he is Executive Director.[5]

Background

Kimmel earned a B.A. with distinction from Vassar College in 1972; an M.A. from Brown University in 1974; and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981 with a dissertation titled: Absolutism and its Discontents: Fiscal Crisis and Political Opposition in Seventeenth Century France and England.[6]

Before joining the Stony Brook University faculty in 1987, Kimmel worked as assistant professor of sociology at Rutgers University from 1982 to 1986 as well as visiting assistant professor at New York University.[6] He returned to his alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley, where he was visiting professor from 1992 to 1994.[6] In the academic year 1992–1993, he was voted "Best Professor" on campus by the The Daily Californian.[7]

Scholarship

Kimmel is considered a leading figure in the academic subfield of men's studies.[8][9] He has written numerous books on gender and masculinities including Men's Lives (2010, 8th edition), The Gendered Society (2011, 4th edition), Manhood: a Cultural History (2012, 3rd edition), and Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men (2008). He has co-edited The Handbook of Studies on Men and Masculinities (2005) and Men and Masculinities: a Social, Cultural and Historical Encyclopedia (2004) which was named "Best of Reference 2004" by the New York Public Library.[10] Moreover, he is the editor of a series on genders and sexualities at New York University Press.[11] In 1992–1993, Kimmel founded the journal Masculinities which was associated with the American Men's Studies Association. The journal was a precursor to the journal Men and Masculinities which was picked up by SAGE Publications in 1998 and became one of the first academic journals focused on men, with Kimmel as its editor.[12]

In 2004, Kimmel was one of 15 scholars chosen for innovative scholarship by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. His research title was "Globalization and its Mal(e)contents: The Gendered Moral and Political Economy of the Extreme Right".[13]

In an article about a "fight club" in Menlo Park, California, Kimmel remarked that there was a sadomasochistic thread running through them, and said they "are the male version of the girls who cut themselves. [...] All day long these guys think they're the captains of the universe, technical wizards. They're brilliant but empty. [...] They want to feel differently. They want to get hit, they want to feel something real." [14]

Selected publications

References

  1. Peacock, Scot (2002). Contemporary authors: new revision series 99. Detroit, Mich.: Gale. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-7876-4608-0.
  2. Korgen, Kathleen Odell; White, Jonathan M.; White, Shelley (2011). Sociologists in Action: Sociology, Social Change, and Social Justice. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Pine Forge Press. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-4129-8283-2.
  3. "Biography". Stony Brook University. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  4. Hanna Rosin (November 22, 2013). "Even Madder Men". New York Times. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  5. "Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities". Stony Brook. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Curriculum Vitae". Stony Brook University. Retrieved May 17. 2012.
  7. "Michael Scott Kimmel (1974)". University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  8. Bronner, Simon J., ed. (2005). Manly Traditions: The Folk Roots of American Masculinities. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 38–39. ISBN 978-0-253-34613-1.
  9. Yang, Wesley (September 7, 2008). "Nasty Boys". The New York Times.
  10. "Best of Reference 2004: Superheroes of Reference". New York Public Library. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  11. "Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Genders and Sexualities". New York University Press. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  12. "House-husbands and techno-sperm". Times Higher Education. October 8, 1999. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  13. "Class of 2004 Carnegie Scholars Announced". Carnegie Corporation of New York. May 7, 2004. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  14. Robertson, Jordon. "The first rule of Silicon Valley fight club is...". MSNBC. May 26, 2006. Retrieved 21 December 2010.

External links

Articles online