Manifestations of Male Image in the World’s Cultures is a very interesting book because it shows a single cultural phenomenon from a number of diverse perspectives. Methods used to analyze the titular male image range from Literary Studies and Cultural Studies to Media Studies. Thanks to the Authors’ broad experience in various fields of academic research, the volume presents this highly layered theme in a truly interdisciplinary way. I perceive the multiauthored – and therefore “polyphonic” – collection as a truly original attempt to build a framework of humanistic thought that is based on clear theoretical and methodological criteria. Moreover, its open character allows the use and merging of a number of humanistic methods, such as the aforementioned Literary or Cultural Studies, with other inspirations that, layer by layer, add the depth and provide further insight into the relationship between the “male image” and broadly understood cultural practices.

Renata Iwicka holds M.A. in Japanese and Chinese Studies and PhD in Cultural Studies. The main area of academic interest includes demonology, history and culture of East Asia (mainly Korean Peninsula and Japan), mythology, and modern pop culture.