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Shaping the Superman
This is a study of masculinity as a metaphor and especially of the muscular male body as a moral symbol. It explores the Nazi's preoccupation with the male body as an icon of political power, and the ideology and theories which propelled it.
234 pages, Paperback
First published September 29, 1999
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About the author
James Anthony Mangan
112 books2 followersJames Anthony Mangan is Emeritus Professor in the International Research Centre for Sport, Socialisation, Society, University of Strathclyde.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 30, 2019
Fantastic exegesis on the role of male body aesthetics in the creation of, and implementation of, fascist state and doctrine. My curiosity on this originated in the body fascism, and ultimately full-blown fascism, of right-wing gay men of privilege. Well, that and the slow transformation of a former partner of mine into not just a Crossfit-abiding body fascist, but someone whose empathy and political alliances started to pivot away from compassion toward contempt for the poor and contempt for even the moderately overweight.
Being able to combine the terminologies as Pronger does in his book titled Body Fascism, I wanted to dig into some older sources than Pronger's text first. And this book offers not just startling evidence of how teamsports, the Olympics, and the cult of masculinity are bona fide tools for the resurrection of a nationalist imagination. But what it also requires is an autopsy of the principles of fascism not just as a code word for bad systems of authoritarian government, but also a guiding set of principles that have enough reparative value to them in order for a certain public appeal to have occurred. The essays in this collection are convincing. In one, the film Olympia, also directed by the maker of Triumph of the Will is examined as an apolitical effort that nevertheless unintentionally glorifies the male, athletic body as a symbol of Classic, modernism-weary grace and beauty. The tragedy being that although Olympia had been made with the intent of evading certain fascist political trappings, it neglected to realize the strength of the male body as symbolic of a victorious nation-state. The gay community, at long last, has its fair share of fetishizing masculinity, of pathetic femmephobia, and the glorification of the Adonis figure (see: most fat gay men's dating experiences, but also films like The Adonis Project). Another favorite essay is a rejection of liberalism's too-easy and intellectually immature disengagement with Fascist art, because it's a field of study with a wealth of information to offer.
I'm hoping to read the sequel to this alongside other texts like Puar's Terrorist Assemblages and Pronger's Body Fascism because I think there is a genuine, threatening "gateway effect" that can take people from the militaristic virtues of bodily improvement into a broader sense of fascism, discrimination, prejudice, and bigotry. I saw it turn a perfectly compassionate person into an abusive monster. In the same way that many "ex-smokers" are contemptuous of smokers, ex-fats can also fall into this trap, and then more. Shaping the Superman demonstrates this effect, among many worse effects, on a large scale to haunting effect. Highly recommended.
Being able to combine the terminologies as Pronger does in his book titled Body Fascism, I wanted to dig into some older sources than Pronger's text first. And this book offers not just startling evidence of how teamsports, the Olympics, and the cult of masculinity are bona fide tools for the resurrection of a nationalist imagination. But what it also requires is an autopsy of the principles of fascism not just as a code word for bad systems of authoritarian government, but also a guiding set of principles that have enough reparative value to them in order for a certain public appeal to have occurred. The essays in this collection are convincing. In one, the film Olympia, also directed by the maker of Triumph of the Will is examined as an apolitical effort that nevertheless unintentionally glorifies the male, athletic body as a symbol of Classic, modernism-weary grace and beauty. The tragedy being that although Olympia had been made with the intent of evading certain fascist political trappings, it neglected to realize the strength of the male body as symbolic of a victorious nation-state. The gay community, at long last, has its fair share of fetishizing masculinity, of pathetic femmephobia, and the glorification of the Adonis figure (see: most fat gay men's dating experiences, but also films like The Adonis Project). Another favorite essay is a rejection of liberalism's too-easy and intellectually immature disengagement with Fascist art, because it's a field of study with a wealth of information to offer.
I'm hoping to read the sequel to this alongside other texts like Puar's Terrorist Assemblages and Pronger's Body Fascism because I think there is a genuine, threatening "gateway effect" that can take people from the militaristic virtues of bodily improvement into a broader sense of fascism, discrimination, prejudice, and bigotry. I saw it turn a perfectly compassionate person into an abusive monster. In the same way that many "ex-smokers" are contemptuous of smokers, ex-fats can also fall into this trap, and then more. Shaping the Superman demonstrates this effect, among many worse effects, on a large scale to haunting effect. Highly recommended.
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