The Conceptual Tools of the Book

This chapter introduces the terms affect, affective practice, and makbul that form the backbone of the book and connects them to paternity arguing that adult children’s social attitudes symbolize the quality of their father’s fatherhood and manhood, which are in close relation with nationhood. It also provides an overview of the national and international literature on masculinities and fatherhoods and brings together two scholars, Margaret Wetherell and Todd W. Reeser. By using Wetherell’s theory of “affective practice” to focus on moments men experience masculinity as “essence” and “free play” as formulated by Reeser, it shows a way to benefit from affect theory with which Masculinity Studies has not been sufficiently engaged.