What’s in a Name? A Synthesis of “Allyship” Elements from Academic and Activist Literature

Carlson, Juliana; Leek, Cliff; Casey, Erin A.; Tolman, Rich; Allen, Christopher T.

doi:10.1007/s10896-019-00073-z

Cited by 45 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…This overall trend is heartening, but we warn against the possibility of the pendulum swinging too far in the direction of hopeful optimism and thereby losing critical perspective. Even as researchers shift towards engaging men as potential allies, we can benefit from keeping in mind the early critical feminist theories of masculinity which highlight how all men benefit from some men's violence, how men may maintain complicity with hegemonic masculinity without engaging in violence themselves (i.e., while also acting in some cases as allies or bystanders), and how some men may maintain power through GBV against other men (Flood, 2011, 2015, 2018; Beasley, 2015; Brownmiller, 1975; Carlson et al., 2019; Connell, 1987; Dworkin, 2015; Macomber, 2018; Messner et al., 2015; Peretz, 2020). At the same time, as masculinity becomes accessible to a wider range of actors, there may be an increase or qualitative shift in GBV which requires new research and more nuanced theories.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, they also found some criticism that questions both the desirability and the very possibility of allyship. The tensions and concerns are common enough across time and location that they may be inherent, leading Carlson et al (2019) to write that "allyship is perpetually imperfect" (see also: Peretz, 2020). Major criticisms include:…”

Section: Men As Alliesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With men's efforts in preventing GBV now widely accepted, the term “ally” has become both widely used and subjected to its own criticisms. Carlson, Leek, Casey, Tolman, and Allen (2019), in a thematic analysis of academic and activist writings, found broadly shared understandings of themes that define good allyship, such as taking everyday actions like challenging and motivating other men, focusing on structural analyses of oppression and privilege, engaging in self‐reflection (especially around one's own privilege), amplifying the voices of marginalized communities (rather than speaking for or over them), and welcoming criticism as a way of maintaining accountability. However, they also found some criticism that questions both the desirability and the very possibility of allyship.…”

Section: Theories Relating Men Masculinity and Gbvmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The tensions and concerns are common enough across time and location that they may be inherent, leading Carlson et al. (2019) to write that “allyship is perpetually imperfect” (see also: Peretz, 2020). Major criticisms include: Issues of accountability: what does accountable ally ship look like?…”

Section: Theories Relating Men Masculinity and Gbvmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Men, masculinities, and gender‐based violence: The broadening scope of recent research

Peretz

Vidmar

2021

Sociology Compass

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Men's relationships to gender-based violence (GBV) have long been an area of sociological inquiry, but until recently men have primarily been framed as perpetrators of violence against women. More recently, research on men and GBV has broadened to include studying men as victims/survivors, as investigators and law enforcement officers, as passive or active bystanders, and as allies in working to address this social problem. We review this research in an effort to bridge these divergent bodies of work; we identify methodological trends and gaps in existing research, make recommendations for improved theoretical and methodological robustness, and suggest that research perspectives on men and GBV have shifted over time as wider understandings of gender and masculinities become more hopeful and more inclusive. While we see optimism and promise in new directions of GBV research, we urge ongoing research to retain the wisdoms and critical perspectives that marked the beginnings of GBV inquiry. K E Y W O R D S domestic violence, gender-based violence, men and masculinities, men as allies, men as victims, rape, sexual violence 1 | INTRODUCTION Over the last half-century, research on gender-based violence (GBV) has expanded dramatically as scholars work to better understand the phenomena and thereby contribute to addressing GBV more effectively. In this article, we use GBV to include primarily physical sexual violence (i.e., rape, sexual assault, and so forth), intimate partner violence, and sexual coercion, but also other forms of interpersonal physical and non-physical violence imposed on

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Men As Alliesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theories Relating Men Masculinity and Gbvmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theories Relating Men Masculinity and Gbvmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Men, masculinities, and gender‐based violence: The broadening scope of recent research

Peretz

Vidmar

2021

Sociology Compass

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“…Finally, we note that the term and definition of "ally" is often debated within activist circles (Carlson, Leek, Casey, Tolman, & Allen, 2019). A component of the definition of allyship is the distinction between identity and behavior.…”

Section: Ave Ats and Remaining Que S Tionsmentioning

confidence: 95%

An integrative framework on the impact of allies: How identity‐based needs influence intergroup solidarity and social movements

Selvanathan

Lickel

2020

Euro J Social Psych

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What impact do advantaged group allies have within social movements? Although solidarity between advantaged and disadvantaged group members is often encouraged to achieve long-term social change, allies run the risk of being ineffective or counterproductive, therefore making it important to shift our focus towards understanding the impact of allies. We propose an integrative theoretical framework describing the positive and negative impact of allies based on their distinct identity-based needs: advantaged group members' need for moral acceptance and disadvantaged group members' need for empowerment and respect. By consolidating extant literature and identifying gaps in prior research, we propose a set of hypotheses concerning (a) tensions that arise within intergroup solidarity efforts for social change between advantaged group allies and disadvantaged group members, and (b) the role of allies in influencing broader public opinion to advance the psychology of social change.

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Learning, experiences, and actions towards advancing gender equity in engineering as aspiring men's allyship group

et al. 2021

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The representation of women in the engineering profession (17.90%) far lags that of the Canadian workforce (47.50%), with several authors citing the need for professional and organizational culture change for engineering to be more equitable for and inclusive of women. Recent evidence reported that men actively working on gender equity practices is one mechanism through which this culture change will occur. The practice of allyship by men involves learning and reflecting, building trusting relationships with women colleagues, continuous action even through discomfort, and influencing change at multiple levels. We share our own experiences with starting a men's allyship group in an engineering workplace, initial successes, opportunities to improve, and our vision for the future.

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What’s in a Name? A Synthesis of “Allyship” Elements from Academic and Activist Literature

Cited by 45 publications

References 23 publications

Men, masculinities, and gender‐based violence: The broadening scope of recent research

Men, masculinities, and gender‐based violence: The broadening scope of recent research

An integrative framework on the impact of allies: How identity‐based needs influence intergroup solidarity and social movements

Learning, experiences, and actions towards advancing gender equity in engineering as aspiring men's allyship group

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