Brotherhood and Homosociality: A Becoming Toward Health

Background
Male-only associations like the Freemasons are often seen as homosocial structures that reinforce power, exclusion, and hegemonic masculinity. However, in caring science and philosophy, health is understood not just as the absence of illness but as a dynamic process of becoming, involving meaning, relationality, and well-being. This philosophical overview explores how homosocial contexts may also serve as spaces that promote health through relational presence, existential reflection, and communal belonging. From a philosophical caring science perspective, the chapter examines brotherhood within a fraternal order as a lived practice that may facilitate movement toward health.

Key points
The analysis distinguishes between hierarchical, instrumental homosociality and horizontal homosociality, characterized by reciprocity, emotional closeness, and the absence of personal gain. The latter aligns with a caring science view of health as an ongoing process of becoming. Through ritualized meetings, shared practices, and fellowship, participants have opportunities for reflection, meaning-making, and supportive relationships that extend beyond professional and social roles. Such contexts may help mitigate loneliness among men, emotional restraint, and stigma associated with vulnerability, thereby promoting psychological well-being and existential health.

Implications for practice, education, or research
Philosophically, the findings prompt a reevaluation of male homosocial spaces within caring science, ethics, and health philosophy. In practice, they suggest that non-clinical community settings can complement formal care by fostering meaning and belonging, underscoring the importance of incorporating relational and existential aspects of men’s health. Further research is needed to examine how horizontal homosociality shapes health-promoting interventions and caring practices across diverse settings.