Who are you calling a man? A journey into male identity

Women are coming off more than a century of struggles for emancipation. Universal suffrage, the right to decide for themselves and for their own bodies, the chance to earn a salary and no longer depend on their families: all these changes happened gradually but steadily, aided by an important process of self-analysis and awareness. Years of comparing themselves with past and future role models, of questioning the predetermined roles society had assigned them. A great deal of ground has been covered and, although there are still many aspects to bring to public attention, one thing can certainly be said: it is no longer as it once was. And what about men? Can the same be said?

The male figure — or at least its most stereotyped version — still remains a reference point in the contemporary collective imagination. Those belonging to the sex once called “strong” still carry many implicit demands from a now outdated social legacy, from “bringing home” the food to support the family to the need to be strong and impeccable on every occasion, just as a century ago. At this point it is worth asking: does it make sense to take these aspects for granted without questioning anything at all? It is from this premise that the second event in the GENERalmente series, “Who are you calling a man?”, was born, designed to investigate the lack of reflection on male identity in our present (and in the previous century).

The event, held in the Sala Nones of Palazzo Benvenuti on Thursday 18 April from 6.00 pm, will feature the legal-psychological-sociological trio of Emanuele Corn, Ivan Pezzotta and Leandro Malgesini, author of the book “Era una brava persona. Sguardi sulla violenza maschile contro le donne” (Il Margine, 2024). The evening will take an interactive approach, different from the classic conference, aiming to question concepts that are only seemingly obvious, such as the latent male role models in our society. The trio will explore fresh ideas in which equal opportunity is not seen as a transfer of power from one sex to the other, with winners and losers, but as an enormous opportunity for renewal for men too.

At the end of the event — completely free with prior booking — there will be an aperitivo by Palazzo Benvenuti Caffè, to encourage the exchange of ideas, opinions and reflections that the evening is sure to inspire.

The series

The GENERalmente project, born in the CLHUB coworking space and supported by Banca per il Trentino - Alto Adige, Bank für Trentino - Südtirol Credito Cooperativo Italiano, aims to explore six different everyday topics — often subjects of debate — across six events, in an informative and accessible way.