Masculinity, crime and criminology

![CDATA[Masculinities research is a diverse field of inquiry with many interrelated points of interest. The body of work referred to as 'critical masculinities theory' coalesces around several shared assumptions - for example, that masculinities are 'plural, socially constructed reproduced in the collective social practices of different men and embedded in institutional and occupational settings' (Thomson 2017: 816). Phrased another way, critical masculinities theory shows us that there are 'multiple masculinities', not just one way of being a man. There are hierarchies of masculinities, often linked to the intersection of masculinity with class, race and sexuality, which define, and are defined by, the 'hegemonic' pattern of a given society. Further masculinities are collective as well as individual, and are actually accomplished and constructed by individuals and enforced within institutions such as the family, the school and the media, operating in global, not just local arenas. Perhaps most importantly, masculinities changed in history ( see Connell 2009). From the perspectives of multiplicity, masculinity is the product of a complex relation between multiple social structures, the institutions that are shaped by them, and the everyday practices of both men and women. These practices may include crime and deviance as resources for enacting particular hegemonic masculinities in specific contexts. In advancing thinking around the 'maleness of crime', critical masculinities theory encourages consideration of both the micro and the macro forces that shape behaviour.]]