All tagged Gender

The Myth Of Man The Hunter: Human Locomotion & The Diversity Of Foraging Societies / Cara Wall-Scheffler

Biological anthropologist Dr. Cara Wall-Scheffler joins me to discuss the evolution of human locomotion and how it dovetails into the findings and conclusions of the research article she co-authored, The Myth of Man the Hunter: Women’s contribution to the hunt across ethnographic contexts, published last month in PLOS ONE.

The data gathered and examined across numerous foraging societies by the authors of this ethnographic review points to the incredible diversity of labor males and females typically engage in to acquire food and other resources. Simultaneously, the findings and conclusions in this study upend stereotypical and essentialist notions about what the commonly understood sexual divisions of labor are—the “man as hunter” and “woman as gatherer” myth—with implications for not only anthropology as a field of study, but for contemporary discourse on topics of gender and sex. 

The Work Of Men: Emerging Masculinities In The Crater Of Calamity / Ian MacKenzie

Ian MacKenzie — visionary filmmaker, storyteller, and host of The Mythic Masculine podcast — returns to discuss manhood, mythology, and emerging masculinities in the wake of calamity. 

This conversation runs deep. Ian and I attempt to navigate the complexities and shadows of men's work in our time of emerging inquiries and contemplation about gender identity and expression. We wholeheartedly acknowledge that as necessary as those discussions around these subjects are, as vital as they may be, we must ask: Where do men fit in this? Ian and I are both what can be described as cisgendered and fairly heteronormative in our relationship styles — situated on a spectrum that has, traditionally, benefited folks such as ourselves in very concrete and obvious ways. That reality is not contested by either of us. But, as we expand upon in this discussion, the patterns of behavior and the beliefs that accompany men through their lives extremely limit them in their relationships — both with others and with themselves — and in their development through the various stages of adulthood. The patterns of domination, manipulation, and violence that characterize so much of how men engage with those around them stem from deep wounds that must be looked at and addressed. Ian and I delve into these subjects honestly, and I ask Ian to express what he has learned on his path exploring these subjects with his work in film and The Mythic Masculine podcast.