Power through Knowledge: Ignorance and the ‘Real Man’

Abstract

The aim of this article is to show that tensions between conflicting accounts of masculinity need not only be ‘resolved’ by individual men, but can have a collective ‘resolution’. We argue that the ‘real man’ - by drawing together the ‘macho’ and ‘new man’ discourses - represents one such ‘integrated’ discourse of masculinity available to men. Our argument is based on a discourse analysis of 15 editions of Men’s Health, a South African magazine predominantly aimed at white, middle- to upper-middle class, heterosexual men. We also investigate how such integrated discourses may be collectively produced, arguing that the ‘real man’ is the product of a rhetorical question-answer strategy that moves men from ignorance to knowledge. Focusing on the rhetoric of masculine ignorance, we argue that the knowledge produced in answer to this ignorance serves to ‘resolve’ a current dilemma for men: how to maintain an essential masculinity while distancing oneself from criticisms of men as traditionally macho. We conclude by exploring, from a feminist perspective, the political implications of the ‘real man’ discourse as a collective ‘resolution’.