Introduction

Abstract

At present, contemporary agendas around men and masculinity are overwhelmingly driven by discussions in Europe, the USA and Australia. Although such work is providing an invaluable contribution to the theoretical and conceptual developments in the field, these agendas tend to be limited by the duplication or modification of existing models and approaches to masculinity. Alongside this existing work, in the area of East Asia, gender studies has started to engage with men’s experiences and the changing nature of masculinity (Louie 2014). However, one of the areas that has yet to be fully explored is the relationship between masculinity and sexuality. Therefore, although there are studies that are exploring men’s identities in East Asia, there remains a lack of knowledge and understanding of the interplay between masculinity and sexuality. This book provides a fresh and contemporary renewal of the study of men and masculinity by highlighting new and exciting approaches to men, masculinity and sexuality that are being explored in East Asian contexts. In short, this book responds to this absence by making the interconnections between masculinity, sexuality and desire a key focus. Existing work on gender and East Asian studies has in the past focused primarily on women, power, control and violence. Building on this work, this book provides a re-engagement with gender by exploring the experiences of men, and in so doing, moves beyond such a traditional agenda through the work of a group of international scholars in this collection.