Writing
Erick DuPree’s blog explores the intersections of anthropology, literature, and material culture to illuminate how identity, ritual, and meaning take shape across time and tradition. Blending scholarship with storytelling, these essays invite readers to engage critically and imaginatively with the cultural forces that shape both personal and collective experience.
What Exactly Does It Mean To Be “Man Enough?”
A personal essay exploring fatherlessness, gender norms, and queer identity—unpacking what it means to be “man enough” in a world that punishes softness and fetishizes masculinity.
Occult Symbolism in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Much like ceremonial magic, where ritual tools such as swords embody the practitioner’s control over the mind and spirit, He-Man’s sword does more than grant him physical power — it bestows wisdom and responsibility.
He-Man to Hypermasc: The Cultural Mythology of 1980s Boyhood
How 1980s icons like He-Man and G.I. Joe shaped hypermasculine ideals for boys—and how queer kids navigated shame, fantasy, and survival under the shadow of these powerful myths.
Rebuilding Manhood: How Collecting GI Joe Helped Me Reclaim a Lost Identity
Exploring the cultural legacy of 1980s G.I. Joe and He-Man, this essay reveals how adult collectors reclaim these toys to redefine masculinity—shifting from domination to resilience, kindness, and vulnerability through the ritual of restoring childhood heroes.