Constructions of masculinity

‘The National Service Scheme: Citizenship, Masculinity and the tradition of compulsory military service in 1960s Australia’

by Christina Twomey

Australian Journal of Politics and History, 58:1, March 2012, 67-81.

Between 1964 and 1972, the National Service Act 1964 required Australian men turning twenty years old to register for... more Between 1964 and 1972, the National Service Act 1964 required Australian men turning twenty years old to register for national service. Unlike most scholarship on the national service scheme, which focuses on opposition to the scheme and its unpopularity, this article examines the reasons why most Australians supported the reintroduction of national service and why so many young men complied with its provisions. It argues that compulsory military service was seen as essential in the context of the Cold War, and as a way of ensuring that young men now coming of age were inducted into models of masculinity, citizenship and duty considered essential for a cohesive society. It was the scheme's break with accepted traditions of compulsory military service in Australia that is an overlooked, and important, element of the criticism it generated. In that sense, it was the legacy of earlier wars that fed into the contemporary response to national service.

Emaciation or Emasculation: Photographic Images, White Masculinity and Captivity by the Japanese in World War Two

by Christina Twomey

Journal of Men’s Studies, vol. 15, no. 3, Fall 2007, pp. 295-310.

This article argues for the need to historicize the use and reception of photographs taken of Allied POWs upon release... more This article argues for the need to historicize the use and reception of photographs taken of Allied POWs upon release from Japanese prison camps at the end of World War Two. Photographs of semi-naked, emaciated POWs at the time of their liberation were extremely unusual images of white men in a state of almost complete abjection. They provide an opportunity to explore the links between masculinity and war with particular reference to the way visual images—in this case photography—inform and shape that relationship. The images convey contradictory messages to the viewer. They undermine the hegemonic masculinity of the virile male warrior yet unmistakably invoke the power of a quite singular cultural referent: the suffering body of Christ. The argument to be explored here is that this duality of transgression and redemption has contributed to the images' iconic status in collective memories of Australian participation in the Pacific War.

Hegemonic masculinity and beyond: 40 years of research in Sweden

by Lucas Gottzén

Men & Masculinities, 2012 (with J. Hearn, M. Nordberg, K. Andersson, D. Balkmar, K. Pringle, R. Klinth & L. Sandberg)

This article discusses the status of the concept of hegemonic masculinity in research on men and boys in Sweden, and... more This article discusses the status of the concept of hegemonic masculinity in research on men and boys in Sweden, and how it has been used and developed. Sweden has a relatively long history of public debate, research, and policy intervention in gender issues and gender equality. This has meant, in sheer quantitative terms, a relatively sizeable corpus of work on men, masculinities, and gender relations. There is also a rather wide diversity of approaches, theoretically and empirically, to the analysis of men and masculinities. The Swedish national context and gender equality project is outlined. This is followed by discussion of three broad phases in studies on men and masculinities in Sweden: the 1960s and 1970s before the formulation of the concept of hegemonic masculinity; the 1980s and 1990s when the concept was important for a generation of researchers developing studies in more depth; and the 2000s with a younger generation committed to a variety of feminist and gender critiques other than those associated with hegemonic masculinity. The following sections focus specifically on how the concept of hegemonic masculinity has been used, adapted, and indeed not used, in particular areas of study: boys and young men in family and education; violence; and health. The article concludes with review of how hegemonic masculinity has been used in Swedish contexts, as: gender stereotype, often out of the context of legitimation of patriarchal relations; “Other” than dominant, white middle-class “Swedish,” equated with outmoded, nonmodern, working-class, failing boy, or minority ethnic masculinities; a new masculinity concept and practice, incorporating some degree of gender equality; and reconceptualized and problematized as a modern, heteronormative, and subject-centered concept.

Made Men and Constructed Masculinities: Viewing the Father-Son Relationship in The Sopranos

by Nicklas Hållén

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https://www.interdisciplinarypress.net/online-store/ebooks/diversity-and-recognition/masculinity-femininity-re-framing-a-fragmented-debate

Selftubes: Construction of Identities in Web Porn [Selftubes: konštrukcia identít vo webovom porne]

by Michal Bočák

Bočák, Michal. 2012. "Selftubes: Construction of Identities in Web Porn." Paper presented at conference Media and Text 3, Veľký Šariš (Slovakia), 21st – 22nd October 2010. [Paper in Slovak submitted for review.]

This study presents results of the qualitative analysis of constructions of identities in heterosexual pornographic... more This study presents results of the qualitative analysis of constructions of identities in heterosexual pornographic videos’ titles on pornographic websites (tubes). Conceptualising porn as a contemporary Western androcentric discourse of sexuality, the author argues that if porn ought to appeal to socially determined desires of its consumers, it can’t be done only by shooting the bodies in detail: it has to represent identities as “ready-made”, widely shared social categories – these are what assign the status of imaginable social situation to (otherwise “mechanical”) sex act. Moreover, in a pornographised culture which is accepting a pornographic logic also beyond the pornosphere it can be reasoned that the porn partakes on re-/defining of identities (meaning not only genders and desires) significantly. The analysis of porn videos’ titles clearly confirms an introductory theoretical conceptualisation of the identity/subjectivity as an unstable, situational entity as well as it proves the multiplicity and intersectionality of identity, stated by its present theories. It appears notably in the systematic power structuring of the intersections of gender, racial/ethnic, age and other social categories, which actually are, according to the author of the study, naturalising the central gender asymetry and the androcentric order.

Keywords: pornography – porn – web – subject – identity – construction – video’s title – intersectionality – asymetry – androcentrism

Jean Martin, Governor of the Grand Bureau des Pauvres, on Charity and the Civic Duty of Governing Men in Paris, circa 1580

by Lisa Keane Elliott

Appeared in 'Governing Masculinities in the Early Modern Period', edited by Susan Broomhall and Jacqueline Van Gent, Ashgate, 2011.

'Representing Aboriginal Masculinity in Howard's Australia'

by Shino Konishi

Published in Ronald L. Jackson III and Murali Balaji (ed.), Global Masculinities and Manhood, University of Illinois Press, USA, 2011, pp. 161-185.

Feminidades, masculinidades e inclusión social

by Maria Amelia Viteri

Tema Central, Diario El Telégrafo, Suplemento Carton Piedra, Marzo 04, 2012, "Quién va a confrontar a la supremacía varonil"?

Courting the Pink Pound: "Men Only" and the Queer Consumer, 1935-1939

by Justin Bengry

History Workshop Journal 68 (2009): pp. 122-148.

Men Only was among the earliest men’s lifestyle magazines published in Britain. From its first issue, in December... more Men Only was among the earliest men’s lifestyle magazines published in Britain. From its first issue, in December 1935, the magazine cultivated a mainstream audience of middle-class, presumably heterosexual male consumers. But at the same time, I argue, it addressed and courted another audience long associated with urban leisure and fashionable consumption. References to homosexuality in Men Only went beyond mockery and insults directed at effeminate men. Instead, both textual and visual references to subcultural codes, practices, and homoerotically charged situations all reinforced potential readings of the magazine that would be understood by a queer audience. Other readers sometimes decoded the magazine’s references and doublespeak too. Some even expressed concern that particular magazine elements were ‘a trifle pansy’. But by printing such concerns the magazine producers further highlighted Men Only’s complicated dual address. By 1939, however, as the magazine’s references to homosexuality and urban queer subcultures became increasingly dated and less lucrative, it began to direct its attention to a new military and home front audience. This article argues that through the deft use of humour, imagery, and coded doublespeak, Men Only courted a homosexual market segment a full half century before advertisers and marketers would openly acknowledge and seek the Pink Pound.

El género detrás del delito: masculinidad, conflicto y honor en el Caribe de Costa Rica, 1890-1930

by Mauricio Menjívar Ochoa

La Manzana, Revista Internacional de estudios sobre masculinidades [Red Internacional de Estudios sobre Masculinidades-Benemérita Universidad de Puebla/México, Vol. V, No.9 (2011)

El artículo propicia una aproximación a la relación entre delito y masculinidad en el Caribe de Costa Rica durante el... more El artículo propicia una aproximación a la relación entre delito y masculinidad en el Caribe de Costa Rica durante el período 1890-1930. El interés primordial radica en el análisis de lo que el delito revela de la identidad de hombres de diversas procedencias –principalmente las Antillas inglesas, el Istmo centroamericano y otras provincias de Costa Rica– así como de sus relaciones conflictivas en una región marcada por el influjo de la producción bananera. Para ello, se desarrolla un análisis historiográfico con base en anuarios estadísticos y archivos judiciales de lesiones, homicidios e injurias. En la investigación se encuentra que la persecución de este tipo de faltas puede entenderse como la penalización de algunas expresiones conflictivas de la identidad masculina de la época. Particular importancia adquirieron las concepciones sobre el honor que articularon masculinidad, relaciones de poder y conflicto, pero que evidencian una dinámica social más amplia promovida por las instituciones de control social y los sujetos particulares, en los procesos de construcción de la hombría.

Palabras clave: masculinidad, delito, honor, afrodescendientes, mestizos, Caribe de Costa Rica

Contested masculinities - immigrant entrepreneurs from Ghana and Nigeria in Northern German Cities.

by Inken Carstensen-Egwuom

This is a Draft - for discussion only!

This paper presents some thoughts on the socio-spatial constructions of masculinities among Nigerian and Ghanaian... more This paper presents some thoughts on the socio-spatial constructions of masculinities among Nigerian and Ghanaian immigrant entrepreneurs in Germany. It refers to the concepts of male habitual security (Meuser) and hegemonic masculinity (Connell) and tries to connect these theoretical concepts with empirical findings based on a case study.

Evolving Men: Initial Results from the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES)

by Francisco Aguayo

El estudio IMAGES en Chile lo coordinamos nosotros en CulturaSalud/EME. Este es el primer informe de esta investigación sobre género/masculinidades. Estamos trabajando en informes del caso chileno. El primero será sobre violencias.

Informe comparado: Barker, G., Contreras, J.M., Heilman, B., Singh, A.K., Verma, R.K., and Nascimento, M. (2011)... more Informe comparado: Barker, G., Contreras, J.M., Heilman, B., Singh, A.K., Verma, R.K., and Nascimento, M. (2011) Evolving Men: Initial Results from the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES). Washington, D.C.: International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) and Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Promundo. January 2011. http://www.promundo.org.br/en/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Evolving-Men-IMAGES-1.pdf

Encuesta IMAGES Chile Resultados de la Encuesta Internacional de Masculinidades y Equidad de Género

by Francisco Aguayo

Aguayo, F., Correa, P., Cristi, P. (2011) Encuesta IMAGES Chile Resultados de la Encuesta Internacional de Masculinidades y Equidad de Género. Santiago: CulturaSalud/EME

Encuesta IMAGES Chile Resultados de la Encuesta Internacional de Masculinidades y Equidad de Género Encuesta IMAGES Chile Resultados de la Encuesta Internacional de Masculinidades y Equidad de Género

St. Joachim as a Model of Catholic Manhood in Times of AIDS: A Case Study on Masculinity in an African Christian Context

by Adriaan van Klinken

Published in CrossCurrents 61/4 (December 2011), special issue on Embattled Masculinities in Religious Traditions, p. 467-479.

Men, myths, and masculinity politics

by Lucas Gottzén

NORMA: Nordic Journal for Masculinity Studies, 2011.

The contributions to this issue of NORMA all deal with issues of men and politics, and to some extent also to... more The contributions to this issue of NORMA all deal with issues of men and politics, and to some extent also to so-called masculinity politics, that is, politics where masculinity is at the centre (Connell 1995). As within other feminist research, politics have been explored within Critical Studies on Men, partly by studying different men’s movements. Raewyn Connell (1995), for instance, identifies four different men’s movements in the West: masculinity therapy, the gun lobby, gay liberation, and exit politics. We could also add the groups of men that organize themselves around child custody disputes (Autonen-Vaaraniemi 2010, Collier and Sheldon 2006) as well as different forms of Christian men’s groups (Gavanas 2004) to Connell’s examples of masculinity politics. Apart from the gun lobby, all these groupings have had more or less strong representations in the Nordic countries...

Sedlenieks, Klavs, Vasiļevska, Karina 2006 Men in Latvian Public Environment: Policy, Social and Economic Aspects.

by Klavs Sedlenieks

Final report in the project Men Equal, Men Different (EC GRANT No VS/2005/0343)

This paper highlights and analyses several of the main aspects that have to do with the role of men as both equal and... more This paper highlights and analyses several of the main aspects that have to do with the role of men as both equal and different in Latvia: state family policy, social and economic barriers to active fatherhood.

Fantasies of White Masculinity in Arthur Schnitzler's 'Andreas Thameyers letzter Brief' (1900).

by Michael Boehringer

Published in German Quarterly, 84.1 (2011), 80-96

While the notion of masculinity in crisis has become a common-place in fin-de-siècle literary studies, Arthur... more While the notion of masculinity in crisis has become a common-place in fin-de-siècle literary studies, Arthur Schnitzler’s novella „Andreas Thameyer’s letzter Brief,“ has thus far been investigated primarily with respect to the (pathological) psychology of its protagonist and the medical discourses surrounding the theme of maternal impression. This essay undertakes a reframing of the text, by placing it within historical discourses on masculinity, the body and heterosexuality, and their intersections with colonial discourses on race and whiteness. Such a reading illuminates the complex construction of and multiple threats to urban bourgeois masculinity, masculine hegemony and the control of women, and the influence of colonial discourses on this empire without colonies. Re-contexualized within its historical discourses, the article proposes that the novella needs to be understood as a damning indictment of white western masculinity in fin-de-siècle Austria.

On Driving a Car and Being a Family: An Autoethnography

by Chaim Noy

Book Chapter. In Vannini, P. (ed.) Material Culture and Technology in Everyday Life: Ethnographic Approaches. New York: Peter Lang. pp. 101-113. 2009.
*One of my (own) favorite articles

Based on observations of drivers and passengers who engage in everyday car-ride routines, this presentation... more Based on observations of drivers and passengers who engage in everyday car-ride routines, this presentation conceptualizes urban transportation as a highly complex social system, constitutive of everyday life. In this system, the common practice of car-driving is achieved via a set of ongoing cursive and non-cursive interactions. These interactions are materialized in and through the car, where unique material and technological features offer and shape a rich platform of interactional functions and affordances (Featherstone et al., 2005). These analytically include interactions inside the car, interactions with other vehicles, and interactions with the transportation infrastructure. Through situated, co-occurring and multimodal interactions various social roles are performatively sustained while driving. In this article, the examination of two pairs of roles will serve as case study: the interrelated performances of driver-passenger/father-daughter. While these roles are accomplished performatively in and through routine conversational exchanges, they are embodiments of different social systems: transportation (automobility) and family. While these roles sometimes contradict, at other times they interestingly reinforce each other; in both cases, these occurrences shape and are shaped by the activities of car-driving. The work is informed by ethnomethodological sensitivities and sensibilities, and uses ethnographic methods for researching language and communication within the context of automobility.

Gays, Gaze and Aunty Gok, The disciplining of gender and sexuality in How to Look Good Naked

by Joanna Tidy

Co-authored with Shaira Kadir

Informed by Foucault's theorisation of the docile body, the gaze, and the Panopticon, we analyse how the gaze is... more Informed by Foucault's theorisation of the docile body, the gaze, and the Panopticon, we analyse how the gaze is operationalised in the popular makeover show How to Look Good Naked (HTLGN). We explore how a regime of discipline is (re)produced through the drawing of boundaries constructing the feminine/masculine and straight/queer binaries. We analyse the delineation of rules and the performance of practices to maintain these boundaries, which support emphasised femininity and hegemonic masculinity. Whilst HTLGN claims to challenge the “body fascism” prevalent in the fashion, beauty, and advertising industries and rid women, and more recently men, of the shame associated with not meeting these ideals, we argue that the show's resistance is far from radical, functioning instead as a mediated ritual of rebellion, endorsing and sustaining key elements constituting prevailing constructions of femininity and masculinity.

Riverine crossings: Gender, identity and the reconstruction of national mythic narrative in The Crying Game

by James Doan

Publsihed in Cultural Studies (2001), co-authored with Margot Backus