Abstract
Much focus has been on men in terms of problematic engagements with masculinity and heterosexuality. In An Education in Sexuality and Sociality: Heteronormativity on Campus Frank Karioris moves away from these domineering narratives to explore how seemingly ordinary young, heterosexual men navigate college, friendships, and sexual intimacy. Using an ethnographic approach, he argues that to better understand the role of heteronormativity and sexuality on campus, we must pay particular attention to the role of sociality in the lives of young college men.
Karioris begins with an overview of heterosexuality and masculinity as understood within higher education. Here, Karioris challenges current conceptions of masculinity theory by refusing to engage in categorical ways of thinking about men, and seeks to explore ways in which we might understand homosociality that is not only a ‘simplistic vision of men’s homosocial relations … open[ing] up a discussion about the way in that these relationships are not solely, primarily, fostered and founded on violence or violence toward[s] women’ (p. 13). Such a challenge is highly provocative in the field, but one that is necessary.
In chapter one, ‘Going to College: Meetings and Methods’, Karioris provides us with an overview of his ethnographic study. Here, we meet the groups of men that Karioris engaged with over an extended period, the layout and historical background of the university the men attended, and the cultural and social tensions that exist between the halls of residence where the men live. He concludes this chapter with a discussion of his methods and methodological approach.
‘Geographies of Life: Work, Space and Relations’, the second chapter of this book, explores in more depth the students and campus life. Paying particular attention to the role of space and place and drawing from the work of Henry Lefebvre, Karioris highlights how communal tensions and friendships are created, challenged, and sustained within specific physical spaces on campus. Here, Karioris notes shifts and changes in the use of space, and the meanings attributed to different spaces that enable the development of social intimacy.
Chapter three, ‘Myths of Community: Materialist Practices and Student Subjectivities’ examines the notion, or what Karioris argues is the myth of the community in university. Karioris demonstrates the varied ways in which the university works to both implicitly and explicitly structure social relations amongst his participants, and how his participants both rebel against and adhere to such structures in varying ways. This is ever more apparent in the case study of Al, a member of a group who is slowly excluded and ostracised when his behaviour no longer adheres to the ethics of the social group.
In chapter four, ‘Sexuality in Education: The University’s Marital Pushes and Programs’ Karioris explores the structured ways in which heterosexuality, and heteronormativity, are reinforced within the education system. Focusing on two dance events, Karioris highlights how the university and the various structures within the university work to create and sustain a narrative of heterosexual coupling and marriage for its students. However, Karioris argues that this is not just about hook-up culture, but rather, that such structures are deeply embedded with concerns regarding family and children. Chapter five, ‘“Let’s Bang!” Heteronormativity and the Divide of Sociality/Sexuality’ continues the exploration of sexuality within the institution. Drawing from a narrative in which one of his participants did not quite understand what ‘banging’ meant, Karioris highlights that for this group of men, sex is not necessarily their major focus, but rather, is embedded within the social worlds that they create, with an overall emphasis on connection and intimacy rather than sexual gratification.
Karioris concludes this piece by reflecting on broader changes in higher education, and the themes that have emerged during the writing of this book. Here, Karioris contends that men’s relationships are ‘pedagogic becomings through collective learning and education’ and that ‘homosociality can provide sources for and ways of doing that enable and encourage new forms of connection’ (p. 147).
Karioris provides a look at a group of men who may seem to readers, strikingly ordinary. Yet it is this ordinariness, something which many may overlook, that is the most compelling. Such men are never featured in iconic college movies beyond perhaps being cast as extras, their stories and narratives often not deemed fascinating enough to be of interest. Karioris shows us that this is not the case, that such men have stories and lives, connections and intimacies that are indeed of interest in today’s climate of searching for the problematic outliers. Karioris expertly illustrates how his men create bonds and intimate ties together that are not reliant on the sexual degradation of women, but rather, on deep connection, affection, and genuine care for each other.
Rich with ethnographic depth and insight, and theoretically sophisticated, Karioris’s An Education in Sexuality and Sociality: Heteronormativity on Campus is a must read for any who wish to understand the lives of young men in college outside of domineering narratives of violence, pack-bonding, and assault. Karioris challenges current understandings of homosociality theory that often paint men as violent, aggressive, and sexual predators. He brings to light new ways in which we can theorise and understand men’s friendships and intimate ties.