Mangesh Kulkarni

The study of men and masculinities (SMM) is gaining recognition as an interdisciplinary field of academic inquiry (Kimmel, Hearn, & Connell, 2005).
SMM originated in and remains largely sympathetic to feminist concerns. It is a constructive response to the diverse changes in men’s lives induced by the ongoing project of women’s liberation, as also by significant shifts in the economy (e.g., the transition from fordism to post-fordism) and society (e.g., changes in the structure of the family). The consequent disruption of the gender roles (e.g., ‘breadwinner’ and ‘protector’) traditionally assigned to men caused a crisis of hegemonic, patriarchal masculinity.

Mangesh Kulkarni traces the origins of the "machine man" as a response to political and ideological forces, and the possibilities of future masculinism.