Masculinity, capitalism, and violence: supporting boys and young men to navigate toxic narratives
5:30pm - 7:30pm /
Wednesday 11th June 2025
/ Venue: Ground floor event space School of Law & Social Justice
Type: Lecture /
Category: Department
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- Admission: Free
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Eleanor Rathbone Social Justice Public Lecture Series
Our Eleanor Rathbone Social Justice Public Lectures are a long-standing annual public lecture series hosted by the Department.
Speaker: Dr Laura McDonald, Co-Director, ConnectFutures
Discussant: Dr Laura Naegler, Lecturer, Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology
Increasing economic uncertainty and shifting social norms - especially in online social spaces - mean that young people are navigating complex and highly dynamic intersections of gender, identity, and structural inequality.
This lecture explores how boys and young men are specifically impacted, with economic and social contexts shaping young men’s vulnerabilities to, and justifications for, engagement with toxic online narratives around masculinity, alongside hustle culture, respect and violence. It examines how these narratives influence both digital spaces and offline social harms, including involvement in criminal activities such as drug dealing and fraud.
The discussion will critically assess how these dynamics contribute to the erosion of the social contract, as young men respond to perceived exclusion and marginalisation through alternative, and often harmful, pathways to status and security. By bridging academic research with real-world practice, this session highlights key implications for educators, practitioners, and policymakers working to counter these challenges and foster more positive, inclusive models of masculinity, status and belonging.
Our Eleanor Rathbone Social Justice Public Lectures are a long-standing annual public lecture series hosted by the Department.
Speaker: Dr Laura McDonald, Co-Director, ConnectFutures
Discussant: Dr Laura Naegler, Lecturer, Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology
Increasing economic uncertainty and shifting social norms - especially in online social spaces - mean that young people are navigating complex and highly dynamic intersections of gender, identity, and structural inequality.
This lecture explores how boys and young men are specifically impacted, with economic and social contexts shaping young men’s vulnerabilities to, and justifications for, engagement with toxic online narratives around masculinity, alongside hustle culture, respect and violence. It examines how these narratives influence both digital spaces and offline social harms, including involvement in criminal activities such as drug dealing and fraud.
The discussion will critically assess how these dynamics contribute to the erosion of the social contract, as young men respond to perceived exclusion and marginalisation through alternative, and often harmful, pathways to status and security. By bridging academic research with real-world practice, this session highlights key implications for educators, practitioners, and policymakers working to counter these challenges and foster more positive, inclusive models of masculinity, status and belonging.