Robert William Jensen (born July 14, 1958) is a former professor of journalism from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

. From 1992 to 2018 he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in media law, ethics, and politics. He has focused much of his work on the critique of pornography and of

masculinity Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors ...

, developed in his 2017 book, ''The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men''. He also has written about

white privilege White privilege, or white skin privilege, is the societal privilege that benefits white people over non-white people in some societies, particularly if they are otherwise under the same social, political, or economic circumstances. With root ...

and

institutional racism Institutional racism, also known as systemic racism, is a form of racism that is embedded in the laws and regulations of a society or an organization. It manifests as discrimination in areas such as criminal justice, employment, housing, healt ...

. He also sits on the editorial board of the

academic journal An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and ...

Sexualization, Media, and Society ''Sexualization, Media, and Society'' (SMS) is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary open-access academic journal, published by SAGE, to provide a resource for diverse scholars and activists interested in critically examining the phenomenon of sexua ...

''.

Early life

Jensen grew up in

Fargo Fargo usually refers to: * Fargo, North Dakota, United States * ''Fargo'' (1996 film), a crime film by the Coen brothers * ''Fargo'' (TV series), an American black comedy–crime drama anthology television series Fargo may also refer to: Othe ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, S ...

Education

In 1981, he received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree from Moorhead State University (now

Minnesota State University, Moorhead Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) is a public university in Moorhead, Minnesota. The school has an enrollment of 7,534 students in 2019 and 266 full-time faculty members. MSUM is a part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities s ...

), and in 1985, he received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

degree in journalism and public affairs from American University. In 1992 he completed his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in media law and ethics in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

Career and activism

Prior to his academic career, he worked as a reporter and copy editor for several newspapers, including the ''

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single ...

'' and the ''

St. Paul Pioneer Press The ''St. Paul Pioneer Press'' is a newspaper based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It serves the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. Circulation is heaviest in the east metro, including Ramsey, Dakota, and Washington counties, a ...

''. Jensen writes for popular media, both alternative and mainstream. His opinion and analytic pieces on such subjects as

foreign policy A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through ...

, politics, and race have appeared in papers around the U.S. He also is involved in a number of activist groups, including the Third Coast Activist Resource Center.

Controversy

9/11 opinion piece

Jensen wrote an opinion piece for the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

'' on September 14, 2001, shortly after the

September 11th terrorist attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...

. In the piece, Jensen wrote that the September 11th terrorist attacks were "reprehensible and indefensible" but "no more despicable than the massive acts of terrorism – the deliberate killing of civilians for political purposes – that the U.S. government has committed during my lifetime." Jensen's piece drew both praise and criticism. Some individuals demanded that The University of Texas fire Jensen. In response, University of Texas President

Larry Faulkner Larry Ray Faulkner (born November 26, 1944) is an American academic and businessman. He served as the twenty-seventh president of The University of Texas at Austin from 1998 to 2006, and as the president of the Houston Endowment Inc. from 2006 ...

wrote in a letter to the editor published in the Houston Chronicle that he was "disgusted by Jensen's article" and called Jensen "a fountain of undiluted foolishness on issues of public policy."

Views on transgender identity

In early July 2014, MonkeyWrench Books collective cut all ties with Jensen over his article reviewing two feminist books that critiqued transgender identity. These books were

Sheila Jeffreys Sheila Jeffreys (born 13 May 1948) is a former professor of political science at the University of Melbourne, born in England. A lesbian feminist scholar, she analyses the history and politics of human sexuality. Jeffreys' argument that the "s ...

' ''Gender Hurts: A Feminist Analysis of the Politics of Transgenderism'' and

Michael Schwalbe Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

's ''Manhood Acts: Gender and the Practices of Domination''. In the review published by ''Dissident Voice'', Jensen concluded that, "On the surface, transgenderism may seem to be a more revolutionary approach, but radical feminism offers a deeper critique of the domination/subordination dynamic at the heart of patriarchy and a more promising path to liberation" which they felt "contributes to a dangerous culture of transphobia". In addition, Dexter M. Thomas wrote a rebuttal which was also published by ''Dissident Voice''. Jensen responded by writing a follow-up article which elaborated on his views on the ecological and social implications of what he terms "trans ideology".

Personal life

Jensen identifies as a radical Christian who rejects the supernatural claims of Christian orthodoxy. Jensen is married to musician

Eliza Gilkyson Eliza Gilkyson (born August 24, 1950, Hollywood, California) is a Taos, New Mexico-based folk musician.Gilkyson moved her base from Austin, Texas, to Taos in 2020. She is the daughter of songwriter and folk musician Terry Gilkyson and his wife, ...

Selected works

Books

* * * * * * * * * * * ______ (2017). ''The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men''. Spinifex Press . * ______ (2021). ''The Restless and Relentless Mind of Wes Jackson: Searching for Sustainability''. University Press of Kansas. * (2022) An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity co-authored with Wes Jackson.

Book chapters

* * *

Journal articles

* * * * * * * * * * * ::''Review of'': * * * * * ::''Review of'': *
Pdf.

Films

* 55 mins * 46 mins *

Speeches

* * Recording by Global Voices for Justice. * * *

Press

* (one hour) * *

References

External links

Robert Jensen homepage
with article archive. *
The Rag Blog
', articles by Robert Jensen. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Robert 1958 births Living people 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers Academics from North Dakota Activists from North Dakota American anti-capitalists American feminist writers American male non-fiction writers American media critics American political writers Anti-pornography feminists American anti-racism activists Christian radicals Feminist studies scholars Male feminists North Dakota socialists Radical feminists University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication alumni University of Texas at Austin faculty Writers from North Dakota Feminism and transgender