How Did He Become a Feminist? The Subjectivation of Young Male Feminists in South Korea

초록

This study examines how male feminists in South Korea embrace feminism and engage in political actions. Interviewing 15 male feminists, including female-to-male (FTM) transgenders, the study finds that participants followed the “natural” gender path in settings such as home, school, and the military; internalizing masculinity while experiencing exclusion when deviating from this path. Positioned as relative others, they encountered women as absolute others. After engaging with feminism, they reflected on their past, censored their present, and distanced themselves from toxic masculinity. Though imagining alternative masculinities, this approach reproduces the binary gender structure of woman/man, leaving room for critical interpretation. Some male feminists appropriated masculinity as a strategy to counter backlash. In contrast to existing discourse, which positions male feminists neither within nor outside feminism, this study emphasizes them as a new political subject. © 2026 selection and editorial matter, Rachel R. Reynolds, Dacia Pajé.

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