Masculinity and the Black Fraternal Experience (2026), by Gregory S. Parks, examines how masculinity operates as the organizing logic of Black Greek-letter fraternities affiliated with the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Drawing on sociology, higher education research, gender and masculinity studies, and an extensive body of dissertation scholarship, the book asks what models of manhood these institutions construct, reproduce, and contest—and what consequences follow for the men who inhabit them, the communities they serve, and the organizations themselves. The volume identifies a foundational tension between two competing frameworks of masculine identity. The first is hegemonic masculinity—the culturally dominant ideal rooted in Western patriarchal structures, prizing dominance, emotional suppression, heterosexual prowess, and competitive individualism. The second is an Afrocentric or community-patriarchy model grounded in collective responsibility, racial uplift, and the ethic of providing for and protecting the community. Across seven chapters, Parks traces how this tension manifests in every dimension of fraternal life: the pledge process, ritualized violence, romantic relationships, sexual conduct, organizational commitment and retention, academic achievement, community service, and the political economy of leadership selection. The book also addresses the phenomenon of "down-low" leadership—closeted gay and bisexual members who wield organizational power while concealing their identities—particularly in the context of organizational politics, where gender performance and sexual discretion function as gatekeeping mechanisms for advancement. Additionally, Parks examines alumni-on-college-member sexually predatory behavior, tracing how hazing rituals, dominance hierarchies, and organizational secrecy create conditions for intra-organizational sexual victimization. The book demonstrates that hegemonic masculinity, when it dominates fraternal culture, produces hazing, sexual exploitation, homophobia, anti-intellectualism, and organizational attrition. Afrocentric masculinity, while more constructive, can itself become exclusionary. Parks synthesizes the empirical evidence to argue that the future vitality of these organizations depends on their capacity to evolve toward what the literature calls "productive and inclusive masculinity"—an integrated model that preserves the Afrocentric emphasis on brotherhood, community, and collective purpose while embedding emotional literacy, embracing healthy images of Black manhood, and resisting homophobia. Read more
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