Agony of Masculinity

The Author: Pierre W. Orelus is Assistant Professor in the Curriculum and Instruction department at New Mexico State University. He has received several fellowships including the ALANA Minority Fellowship, ACCELA Fellowship, and New Perspectives Fellowship. Professor Orelus’ research interests include post-colonial studies; critical race theory; gender studies, particularly masculinity and maleness; multiracialism; critical multicultural education; TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and bilingual education; Caribbean studies; and cultural studies. His book Education under Occupation: The Heavy Price of Living in a Neo-Colonized and Globalized World was published in 2007.

«Orelus is an intellectual freedom fighter whose deep insights and sharp analyses of institutional racism and black masculinity deserve our attention. Don’t miss this book!» (Cornel West)«In this magnificent book, Pierre W. Orelus has painstakingly unmasked how white supremacy distorts the image of men of African descent in America. But he does not stop there. Orelus also examines the ways in which women and queer people have been victimized by sexism and homophobia. Bravo for this effort at revealing intersectional oppression!» (Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Professor of Sociology, Duke University; Author of ‘Racism without Racists’)«Pierre W. Orelus has provided us with an important book at a critical time. All of the most important social indicators suggest that Black males are in trouble, but there is considerable confusion about how Black masculinity is implicated in the problems confronting Black males. Orelus provides an insightful analysis rooted in a keen understanding of social theory to shed light on these complex issues. Most importantly, he uses the voices and experiences of Black men to ground his analysis in their reality. This is a timely book that will serve as a resource for those who seek to understand and take action on this important social dilemma.» (Pedro A. Noguera, Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Development, Executive Director, Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, New York University; Author of ‘The Trouble with Black Boys’)«Drawing on black men’s own revealing testimony about their conflicted and constructed masculinity(ies), their simultaneous racial subordination and gender privilege, this book is a heartfelt call for a new social order free of racism, sexism, and homophobia.» (Charles W. Mills, John Evans Professor of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University; Author of ‘The Racial Contract’)