Steven Roberts: Young working-class men in transition

Johnston, Craig

Abstract

Drawing on the experiences of young working-class men in transition, this insightful book portrays and discusses the changing world of masculinities within the South-East of England. The book raises questions and contests existing discourses, in regard to contemporary working-class masculinities. It does this by presenting interviews from a 7 year (broadly) ethnographic study of the “missing middle”—or young men engaged in education and work but not successful in either—to document shifts that are occurring in relation to how (these) young men construct and understand masculinity—as well as the hidden inequalities which may follow from this. The author, Steven Roberts, skillfully critiques previous studies of masculinity while providing a nuanced analysis of how these working-class men circumnavigate their transitions into adulthood. The book’s central contribution lies in challenging the stagnant portrayals of young, working-class men in the academy, and English society.

• Journal Article Type: Book Review
• Acceptance Date: May 15, 2020
• Online Publication Date: May 27, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020-03
• Deposit Date: Dec 20, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 21, 2022
• Journal: Journal of Applied Youth Studies
• Electronic ISSN: 2204-9207
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 99-101
• Item Discussed: 240 Pages, Routledge, London, 2018, (ISBN13: 978-1138217188)
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43151-020-00007-3
• Keywords: Sociology and Political Science; Social Sciences (miscellaneous); Anthropology; Education; Cultural Studies
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10255456
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43151-020-00007-3
• Additional Information: Received: 1 May 2020; Revised: 14 May 2020; Accepted: 15 May 2020; First Online: 27 May 2020; : ; : The author declares that he has no conflict of interest.