Peter Higgins is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and interim department head of Women’s and Gender Studies at Eastern Michigan University. His research and teaching are in the area of political philosophy, which he approaches from a feminist perspective. Most of his published work, including his book, Immigration Justice (Edinburgh University Press, 2013), concerns the justice of policies by which states admit and reject prospective immigrants. He also writes on fundamental concepts in feminist theory.

Are men oppressed as men? The evidence given in support of affirmative responses to this question usually consists in examples of harms or limitations masculinity imposes on men: men must be breadwinners for their families, men can be drafted for war, etc. In this presentation, Peter Higgins will explicate three hypotheses that account for the harms and limitations masculinity imposes on men in a way that is superior to the hypothesis that men are oppressed.

This is the fifth in a six-lecture series. The subject is Changing Gender Roles. The next lecture will be May 9, 2019. The title is: Advancing Gender Equity: The Impact of Acting on Institutional Change Efforts.