(Challenges to) Hegemonic Masculinity in Greek Fictional Television

Abstract

Drawing data from the Greek fictional TV series, O÷aaui ÐioÝ (Almost Iever, broadcast in the seasons 2003-4 and 2004), the Greek version of Sex and the City, this paper explores the ways the male characters both construct themselves and are construed by the heroines in terms of gender and sexuality, building upon recent studies on masculinities in Greece, an area largely under-researched until lately, an adapted Faircloughian Critical Discourse Analysis framework of analysis is employed. Findings point towards hegemonic masculinity when men construct themselves. However, the heroines in the series articulate alternative, opposing discourses. All this shapes and is shaped by the wider socio-cultural context of Greece, where changes in gender relations are seen to be taking place.