Boys Will See Boys

Name: Boys Will See Boys
Price: 69.99 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock
ISBN: 9781496861900

Folklore, Friendships, and Emotions in Boyhood Snapshots

Jay Mechling

$69.99

Paperback

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English

University Press of Mississippi
23 January 2026

Social issues & processes; Gender studies: men; Age groups: children; Social & cultural anthropology; Sexual behaviour

Series: Cultures of Childhood

In Boys Will See Boys: Folklore, Friendships, and Emotions in Boyhood Snapshots, author Jay Mechling examines snapshots—photographs of boys taken by boys—to uncover the private, inner lives of American boys, away from adult surveillance. At the heart of the project is a collection of vintage snapshots collected over the years—all anonymous orphan photographs acquired by the author through eBay. Mechling argues that, taken together, these snapshots serve as a history of white American boyhood. Since the boys are being photographed by and with their peers in a relaxed environment, the photographs resonate with authenticity.

The project includes deeper looks at adolescent male friendship, as well as the links between boyhood and child culture, such as play, sexuality, adolescence, bonding, and violence, among others. Using the lens of American culture studies, Mechling expertly ""reads"" each photograph, outlining the social, cultural, intertextual, and historical context, to deepen our understanding of boyhood within our larger cultural system.

By: Jay Mechling
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781496861900
ISBN 10: 1496861906
Series: Cultures of Childhood
Pages: 277
Publication Date: 23 January 2026
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jay Mechling is professor emeritus of American studies at the University of California, Davis. He is a Fellow of the American Folklore Society, and in 2006 he received the Davis Prize, the UC Davis highest honor for excellence in teaching and research.

Reviews for Boys Will See Boys: Folklore, Friendships, and Emotions in Boyhood Snapshots

Mechling profoundly guides us to see and understand boys--and men--in a whole new light.--Simon J. Bronner, editor of Manly Traditions: The Folk Roots of American Masculinities