Heart of Maleness

In this timely, self-reflective essay, a dynamic sociologist and philosopher examines the causes and effects of gender inequality and how we can fight against it.

Raphaël Liogier has followed the #MeToo movement closely, and the testimonies published on social media have forced him to engage in self-criticism--but also in a critique of our modern society, starting at its roots. With candor, he uses his own distress, self-questioning, and academic training in order to analyze the contradictions in the perception that today's men have of women. According to Liogier, this perception, along with inappropriate touching in the subway, catcalling in the streets, sexual harassment at work, and rape, as well as the glass ceiling, the gender pay gap, and all other inequalities between men and women, are rooted in our society's male-dominated culture.

In Heart of Maleness, he demonstrates how this culture is one of the deepest and oldest injustices in human history. He shows that the origin myths of the great civilizations, the romantic tales, the archetypes of Don Juan and Casanova, and even the exotic retellings of "matriarchal societies" all hide a masculinity that negates the female will. Ultimately, the systematic belittlement of women and the negation of their consent, still present in today's society, are based on a fear of their freedom.