Problematizing contemporary Men/Masculinities theorizing: the contribution of Raewyn Connell and conceptual-terminological tensions today Chris Beasley Abstract Critical studies of men and masculinities (CSMM) have burgeoned in recent times. For this reason, it seems to me a useful moment to reflect on what I see as some tensions, even contradictions, in these studies. In keeping with Chantal Mouffe’s espousal of the advantages of agonism rather than consensus, I suggest that het- erogeneous theoretical directions in scholarship attending to men/masculinities are by no means to be discouraged. However, the various theoretical tools employed in this scholarship may be incommensurable and thus produce a certain inconsistency or even incoherence. In this context, I suggest that in order to more clearly articulate current theoretical/terminological debates it is important to undertake analysis of key conceptual distinctions and widely used terms, such as notions of structure and patriarchy, gender identities/masculinities/men, hegemony and hegemonic masculinity, and relations between gender and sexual- ity, amongst others. The aim here is not to produce or require homogeneity in studies of men/masculinities but rather to provide an opportunity to consider the epistemological frameworks which inform the political intentions and goals of this sphere of scholarship. Keywords: Masculinities; postmodernism; modernism; theory; gender; Connell Introduction Critical studies of men and masculinities (CSMM) have burgeoned in recent times. For this reason, it seems to me a useful moment to reflect on what I see as crucial tensions, even contradictions, in these studies. I suggest that the various theoretical tools employed in CSMM may not be straightforwardly commensurable and thus produce a certain inconsistency or even incoherence. Beasley (The Fay Gale Centre for Research on Gender, The University of Adelaide) (Corresponding author email: christine. beasley@adelaide.edu.au) © London School of Economics and Political Science 2012 ISSN 0007-1315 print/1468-4446 online. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA on behalf of the LSE. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-4446.2012.01435.x The British Journal of Sociology 2012 Volume 63 Issue 4