Rarely has there seemed a more confusing time to be a man. This uncertainty has spawned an array of bizarre and harmful underground subcultures, collectively known as the ‘manosphere’, as men search for new forms of belonging.
Join acclaimed journalist James Bloodworth as he delves into these worlds and asks: what does their emergence say about Western society? Why are so many men susceptible to the sinister beliefs these groups promote? And what can we do about their pernicious encroachment upon our social and political spheres? Along the way, he enlists in a bootcamp for ‘alpha males’, dissects cultural figures including Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate, and accompanies modern day Hugh Hefners as they broadcast their jet-set lifestyles to millions of followers.
James Bloodworth will be ‘In Conversation’ with Prof. Richard De Visser.
AUTHOR BIO
James Bloodworth is a journalist and the author of The Myth of Meritocracy, Hired, shortlisted for the Orwell Prize in 2019, and Lost Boys. His writing has appeared in the Times, the Guardian, and Prospect. He has produced and presented documentaries for Channel 4 and much of his work concerns the struggles of working class people.
CHAIR BIO
Richard De Visser is Professor of Psychology at the Brighton & Sussex Medical School (BSMS) and has been working in health psychology and public health for 30 years.
His research interests span a broad range of topics: sexuality & relationships; alcohol use; and cross-cultural analyses. He has also conducted many studies of gendered identity, and its intersections with sexuality.