Fernando Herranz Velázquez He has a doctorate in Gender Studies from the University of Alicante and the University Research Institute in Gender Studies. Currently, it is part of the Observatory of Masculinities from the Miguel Hernández University. Among other things, Herranz Velázquez is in charge of the research project Analysis of equality policies at the local level: existing and desirable measures for working with men and masculinities in favor of equality between women and men. Likewise, he collaborates in the Study and diagnosis of local equality policies aimed at men and masculinities in the province of Alicante.
He recently published the book Learn to be a man. A historical look at the origin of male social hegemony in Editions at Seawhere he delves into issues related to traditional masculinity and the need for a cultural change to eradicate the violence it produces.
That is exactly one of the topics that Herranz Velázquez addresses in this recent interview with Public, that has been organized on the occasion of 25N. How to change the perception of masculinity and its relationship with violence? Is man born or made? Why would many women prefer to encounter a bear than a man if they were alone in a forest? In a year where the feminist struggle has managed to transform fear into action, focusing on the responsibility of the aggressors and their environment of impunitythis conversation reflects on how men can stop being part of the patriarchal system, inviting them to question their own behaviors and challenge the toxic norms within their circles.
November 25 reminds us of the need to combat sexist violence. One of the great challenges continues to be the impunity of the aggressors. What message would you give to men who want to be part of the change, who want to stop being part of this patriarchal system?
The first thing I would do is encourage them to take the step and do things to change. Many times we are left wanting, despite not feeling comfortable in the system we are in, with the
violent dynamics that we observe and that flood the media every day. That first step has to be a process that takes place internally, but above all externally. That is to say, We have to constantly review, on the one hand, our own
sexist or micro-sexist behaviorsbut the next thing is to try to see where they come from and why we put them into practice. And where have we men learned and internalized all that toxicity? In our environment, politically. To change that, we must question our colleaguesfriends, parents, brothers, cousins…
“We must challenge our colleagues (…) challenge all those sexist or sexist actions that we consider not correct”
Point out and challenge all those sexist or sexist actions that we consider not correct. Especially if what we want is a safer space where violence gradually disappears. It is essential that we make this change among men in our circles, which let’s not be silent. We cannot expect to be given a space in feminism, but rather we have to convert our spaces into feminist ones. It is important to create networks, talk among men within a critical and feminist associative structure, even become that killjoy friend who doesn’t laugh when you make a homophobic or sexist joke.
From your experience, why do you think there is such a deep-rooted perception of collusion and normalization of violence? Is it a structural problem, a cultural problem, or both?
It is part of the system in which we have grown up, in which we have become
socialized and in which we have learned to relate. The important thing is to tackle violence head-on and make it all visible, no matter how small it may seem, to become aware that it occurs. This structure is the product of historical, social and cultural development.
“The important thing is to tackle violence head-on and make it all visible, no matter how small it may seem”
Obviously, there are differences in the representation of violence over time, we are not talking about the same representation in the 18th century as it can be expressed today, but they are there. It must be taken into account that it is an adaptive, mutable system, but it is based on the same principles of discrimination towards all people who are not socialized as men. That is precisely what we have to question: how it has been constructed that a man “should be”, how we have learned it, to resolve the root of all this.
In what way can this idea of exercising masculinity, of “being a man” be transformed?
The hegemonic masculinity model is based on the pillars of the triple denial: I am not a baby, I am not a woman and I am not homosexual. That is to say, I am not dependent and fragile, I reject everything that has to do with femininity (misogyny) and compulsory heterosexuality is imposed on me. We are talking about an entire ideological edifice where power and violence are there as a constant. That does not mean that we have to take the context into account; Obviously, being born in Europe is not the same as being born somewhere else, or in the 19th century instead of today.
“The normative idea of ”being a man” attacks the integrity of other identities, as well as the concept of citizenship”
Male domination is always there, like the subordination of women, children, the elderly, racialized or LGTBI+ people. Masculinity as we know it is harmful because it denies the rest of the people in society. This normative idea of ”being a man” attacks the integrity of the rest of the identities, as well as the concept of citizenship.. Therefore, also to all those men who do not follow it to the letter and to those who follow it because if they leave that framework they know that they expose themselves to violence, they live constrained. Although we cannot fall into that discourse that says “poor men, we are victims of patriarchy.”
How can we combine addressing the responsibility of the aggressors without falling into justifying their actions?
“What you cannot do, as Íñigo Errejón did in his resignation letter, is to excuse yourself because the system has made you this way to justify sexist behavior”
It is very important that Let us never ever lose the critical and feminist perspective when working on masculinity or with men.whether from theory or from social intervention. I say this because there is a victimist speech relatively simple to articulate. But just because masculinity has costs does not mean that we are the ones greatly harmed by this system. For that, It is important not to conceive as rights something that is privileges. What cannot be done, as Íñigo Errejón did in his resignation letter, is make excuses that the system has made you this way to justify sexist behavior. Human beings have the capacity for action, agency, and decision. In the introduction of the book, I reference this: we have to be aware of our own privileges to change them. Once recognized, we have even more responsibility.
What specific measures could be taken to stop aggressors from attacking, beyond criminal sanctions?
When a man with sexist behavior becomes an aggressor, it is usually because has not been able to achieve that level of control, obedience, etc., which he wanted based on other levels of violence minors. When a man physically abuses a woman it is because he has lost control over this person.
“Men are our greatest source of danger”
To understand where this comes from, it is worth talking about the magical trio of masculinity: honor, power and violence. This magical trio is what legitimizes all the actions of violence exerted by normative masculinity when we talk about sexual violence or gender violence. Therefore, the way to stop these maximum expressions of the violence that masculinity represents is tackle it from the root. That is, work before these events occur, work on a cultural change, a structural change in what we have been taught it means to be a man. Not for the rest of the community, but for ourselves, because right now we are our greatest source of danger. You just need to look at the number of suicides among men there are.
I think a lot about what you mention about the damage that men do to themselves by perpetuating these behaviors that terrify women and even distance them from them. I remember that not long ago some videos became popular on TikTok where different women were asked “If you were in a forest alone, which would you prefer: to meet a bear or a man?” and many women said they preferred, in fact, a bear. Are you surprised?
It doesn’t surprise me at all that women prefer to meet bears instead of men.if news of women murdered and assaulted at the hands of men does not stop coming out every day. They are surrounded by violence everywhere and to escape it we see that they often have no choice but to imitate the toxic behavior of men. It’s a shame.
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