Men and masculinities in contemporary East Asia: Continuities, changes, and challenges

The shared cultural heritage of East Asian societies (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan) has resulted in similar constructions of masculinities, such as the preference for “soft” masculinities in popular culture. Nevertheless, the different social, economic, cultural, and political trajectories that each East Asian society has followed have resulted in different practices and representations of masculinity. This chapter summarizes current studies that document the changes and continuities of the representations and practices of men in East Asia and that address the challenges to manhood in these societies. In addition, literature discussing masculinities among East Asian men living elsewhere is briefly outlined. Copyright © 2020 selection and editorial matter, Lucas Gottzén, Ulf Mellström and Tamara Shefer; individual chapters, the contributors.