Published in 2018
288 pages
Donna Zuckerberg is an American classicist, editor-in-chief of the journal Eidolon and author of the book Not All Dead White Men (2018) on the appropriation of classics by misogynist groups on the Internet. She earned her Ph.D. in classics at Princeton University in 2014, specializing in the study of ancient tragedy. She has spoken out against social media, arguing that it has created a toxic culture and given men ‘with anti-feminist ideas to broadcast their views to more people than ever before – and to spread conspiracy theories, lies and misinformation’. Zuckerberg understands that social media has elevated misogyny to ‘entirely new levels of violence and virulence’.
What is this book about?
A disturbing exposé of how today’s alt-right men’s groups use ancient sources to promote a new brand of toxic masculinity online.
A virulent strain of antifeminism is thriving online that treats women’s empowerment as a mortal threat to men and to the integrity of Western civilization. Its proponents cite ancient Greek and Latin texts to support their claims–arguing that they articulate a model of masculinity that sustained generations but is now under siege.
Donna Zuckerberg dives deep into the virtual communities of the far right, where men lament their loss of power and privilege, and strategize about how to reclaim them. She finds, mixed in with weightlifting tips and misogynistic vitriol, the words of the Stoics deployed to support an ideal vision of masculine life. On other sites, pickup artists quote Ovid’s Ars Amatoria to justify ignoring women’s boundaries. By appropriating the Classics, these men lend a veneer of intellectual authority and ancient wisdom to their project of patriarchal white supremacy. In defense or retaliation, feminists have also taken up the Classics online, to counter the sanctioning of violence against women.
Not All Dead White Men reveals that some of the most controversial and consequential debates about the legacy of the ancients are raging not in universities but online.
