Eric Anderson (sociologist)

Background

Eric Anderson earned a B.A. from California State University Long Beach in 1990; a California State Teaching Credential in 1991; and an M.A. in Sport Psychology in 1993. From the University of California Irvine, Anderson earned an M.A in Sociology in 2002 and a Ph.D. in 2004 with a dissertation that became his book In the Game: Gay Athletes and the Cult of Masculinity, which the American Library Association recognized as Outstanding Academic Title for that year (2005). Before joining the University of Winchester in 2011, Anderson completed post-doctoral work with Michael Kimmel at the State University of New York, Stony Brook. He then worked as an Assistant Professor at the University of Bath from 2005 to 2010, as well as a Visiting Professor at the University of California Irvine. He was promoted to Professor in 2011 and given a chair in Masculinities, Sexualities and Sport.

Scholarship

Anderson is considered a leading figure in multiple academic subfields, including men's studies and men's sexualities. He has written 11 books and over 50 peer-reviewed academic journal articles covering multiple aspects of sexualities and gender, frequently related to male team sport athletes.

His autobiography, Trailblazing, documents the story of his coming out as the first openly gay high school coach in the U.S., which Booklist described as, "quite possibly the best coming-out story ever told". Also recognizing this book, the journal, Sociology of Sport Journal, held a symposium on its relevance to understanding decreasing homophobia in sport.

His book Inclusive Masculinity: The Changing Nature of Masculinities changed the way masculinity scholars theorized the relationship between masculinity and homophobia. His theory, Inclusive Masculinity Theory, and its embedded notion of homohysteria, explains how homophobia regulates gender. In subsequent works, Anderson uses empirical evidence to show that young heterosexual men's masculinities are becoming softer and more inclusive. His (2014) book 21st Century Jocks: Sporting Men and Contemporary Heterosexuality documents heterosexual men cuddling in bed together, kissing each other on the lips, and engaging in intense emotional intimacy with other men, something known as a bromance.

Anderson's scholarship also examines the problems of monogamy. His (2012) book, The Monogamy Gap: Men, Love and the Reality of Cheating with Oxford University Press has received a great deal of international media attention, including multiple television appearances, because the evidence of his 120 interviews suggests that monogamy causes difficulties in relationships, and thus cheating becomes a rational response to the unreasonable cultural mandates of sexual fidelity. His work on monogamy also examines why middle-age women cheat, not because they are emotionally unfulfilled, but instead, like men, they desire sex outside of the relationship.

Anderson's primary research partner is Dr Mark McCormack. Together, in a Sex Roles: A Journal of Research symposium they examine and advance the notion of homohysteria. Anderson and McCormack also have developed the understanding that decreasing cultural homophobia positively impacts the lives of bisexual men and bisexual women. They have a forthcoming book with Columbia University Press, that examines bisexual men's lives in Los Angeles, New York and London, research that has been funded by the American Institute of Bisexuality and has been featured by the New York Times.

Anderson is a critical scholar of team sports, authoring a number of books examining its functions, purposes and problems. Oxford Bibliographies in Sociology lists his (2010) book Sport Theory and Social Problems as a top 10 book about sport theory. In a co-edited volume, with Professor Jennifer Hargreaves, Routledge Handbook of Sport, Gender and Sexuality, sport is criticized for producing a gender binary, transphobia and patriarchy. Anderson instead advocates for participation in exercise and fitness, including distance running, for which he has authored two books: Training Games Coaching and Racing Creatively (2006) and The Runners Textbook (2009).

In the media

Anderson appears frequently in the media. Television appearances include discussing gay men in sport on ABC News and being interviewed by KTLA about his experiences of coming out as an openly gay high-school coach. He has also appeared on Britain's This Morning, the Alan Titchmarsh show, and Australia's Sunrise to explain the findings of his research about monogamy and cheating. The BBC have also utilised Anderson's expertise on sports psychology and marriage equality.

Anderson has been on hundreds of radio shows, including: BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, NPR, KPCC AirTalk, Radio Netherlands and On Point.

In print, Anderson has been featured in hundreds of old and new media sources, including: The New York Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, BBC News, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Guardian, The Atlantic, ESPN News, Salon.com, The New Republic, Scientific American, Open Democracy, The Daily Express, NBC News and The New York Times Magazine.

Published books

Anderson has currently authored eleven books:

Academic journal articles

For a full list of peer-reviewed academic journal articles, please visit: http://www.professorericanderson.com