Introduction

Abstract

In the aftermath of the 2011 “failed” Arab uprisings, anthropologists have been exploring the ways in which ordinary Arab men have been living through these precarious times, while also attempting to maintain some semblance of their former lives and fundamental humanity. Instead of relying on familiar scholarly tropes of “men in crisis” or “hegemonic masculinity,” anthropologists working in a variety of Arab countries and Western refugee settings have pointed to new conceptualizations of Arab manhood, thereby questioning dominant notions of “traditional” Arab masculinity and patriarchy. “Emergent masculinities” in the Arab world foreground new forms of male agency, as well as the emotional and moral worlds of Arab men living within larger familial, community, and national structures. In this special issue, anthropologists from six different countries explore Arab men’s lives in the post-revolutionary period of refugee crisis. Their cutting-edge anthropological scholarship reveals three pivotal themes: First, Arab masculinity and male breadwinner roles have changed dramatically in the post-revolutionary period, particular in Egypt, where conflicting stories of courage and corruption abound. Second, men who have been forced to flee their home countries, especially Syria, work hard to maintain a sense of masculine responsibility and dignity within stigmatizing refugee conditions. Finally, “doing” masculinity now requires special care and creativity on the part of Arab men. Arab men’s articulations of masculinity in practice, as revealed through detailed ethnographic accounts, highlight their everyday efforts to be “good men,” as well as “good at being men,” while living through these politically dangerous times.