LAUSR

In August 2016 Barak Obama called himself a feminist in his essay published in Glamour. His statement was not startling for researchers and practitioners from the social movement and gender studies fields familiar with the idea that men can not only support gender equality, but also identify as proor simply feminist. However, a significant part of the general public might have been surprised by Obama’s words, as the connection between Feminism and Men might have been rather subtle for many. Nikki van der Gaag’s book is aimed at anyone who finds this assertion surprising, as one of its goals is to provide a basic understanding of why feminism is equally important for both men and women, and what the main intersections between men and masculinity issues and gender equality are. I consciously use the terms gender equality and (wo)men, as despite the book’s title claiming it is an analysis of men’s engagement in the feminist movement, the author concentrates on men’s and women’s issues with regard to gender equality. Feminism is used as a synonym for the latter, and thus is not operationalised as a social movement. Although van der Gaag mentions male activists who participate in a number of groups and organisations identified with a larger feminist or pro-feminist movement, the vast majority of her work is dedicated to an overview of major debates in the gender equality field. Instead of providing insights into the history or current state of pro-feminist movement as in the works of Kimmel and Mossmiller, or Messner, Greenberg and Perez, the author offers a basic – albeit highly skilful – introduction to gender studies discussions. She does this by focusing on topics such as defining gender roles, equality in education and health, men and women at work, fatherhood, and men and violence. Only the last two of these are devoted strictly to men’s issues. The most significant aspect of the book is the fact that van der Gaag frames her analysis in a global perspective. She draws on voices of women and men representing mostly the global South, as the bulk of her findings are based on a number of interviews conducted during the many years she spent travelling there. A global perspective in research on men and masculinities, with a few exceptions (Hearn, or Pease & Pringle) is still comparatively rare. Therefore, van der Gaag’s work can be seen as valuable for fostering non-Northern insights into masculinities and gender equality research. Moreover, the book is written on a broadly accessible level that can easily be understood by non-academic readers, and it provides basic definitions of gender, (pro-)feminism and other concepts related to the field. However, readers who are broadly educated in gender and men and masculinities studies, as well as social movement researchers, are less likely to find anything new here. From a scholarly point of view, some of the biggest weaknesses of the book are the lack of deeper analysis of the notion of male Feminism and Men’s activity in the feminist movement, the absence of any kind of theoretical framework (the author does not refer to one of the most recognised concepts, terrain of the politics of masculinities, or to any established social movement theories) and the rather poorly explained methodology. Moreover, the author provides a rather limited and highly selective overview of previous research and does not operationalise terms that she refers to in the main body of the text. In conclusion, the book can be seen as a general reader, which is an advantage for lay readers not familiar with the field of gender studies in general and men and masculinities issues in particular. It provides clear direction and ideas about the importance of gender equality in men’s and women’s lives around the world. It can therefore be recommended for the general public rather than academics, as it barely touches on the broad issue of the role of men in (pro-)feminist movements, and neglects the social movement approach in the masculinities and feminist bodies of research.