The Construction of Masculinity – the Driving Force of History

A New Way of Understanding Change in the Past

Abstract

The aim of this article is twofold. Firstly, I will try to illustrate that an application of general theories does not necessarily need to exclude the active subject or the historical context. On the contrary, I will assert that a pluralistic perspective can be integrated in holistic thinking, since these levels are not only coexisting but also are interdependent. Secondly, I assert that the construction of masculinity is a very powerful process, which probably has a great impact on how and when social change appears. Through the understanding of how masculinity is constructed and maintained, new possibilities arise in the discussion of otherwise well-known archaeological phenomena such as cultural change, technical progress and material variation.