Concept Of Hegemonic Masculinity Research Articles

Hegemonic masculinity or masculine domination

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that Bourdieu’s concept of masculine domination offers a comprehensive social theory of gender as compared to Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity through examining the proposition of positive hegemonic masculinity.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper that argues that Bourdieu’s concept of masculine domination offers a comprehensive social theory of gender as compared to Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that Bourdieu’s concept of masculine domination incorporates both discursive and material structures of the gender system that privileges men/masculine over women/feminine, making it a comprehensive social theory of gender.Research limitations/implicationsThe concepts of hegemonic masculinity and masculine domination have not been reviewed in the light of emerging perspectives on hegemony, power and domination. The future research could focus on a review of research methods such as institutional ethnography, in examining masculine domination.Practical implicationsUsing masculine domination perspective, organizations could identify specific managerial discourses, aspects of work organization and practices in order to eliminate gender-based discrimination, harassment and unequal access to resources.Social implicationsPublic policy interventions aimed at inclusive development could examine women’s condition of continued disadvantageousness, through masculine domination perspective.Originality/valueThe authors seek to provide a comparative view of the concepts of hegemonic masculinity and masculine domination, using the categories of comparison that was not attempted earlier.

Komedi ve Kadın: Hokkabaz Filminde Cinsiyet Problemi

This study argues that representations of the female protagonist in the Turkish filmHokkabaz (The Magician, Cem Yılmaz & Ali Taner Baltacı, 2006) replicate gendered masculine hegemony. Using the concept of hegemonic masculinity and genre theory, we suggest that Hokkabaz contributes to the inequality of gender through its treatment of the father-son relationship. We first examine the formation of gender roles by means of the conventions of comedy and then, in terms of hegemonic masculinity, analyse the impact of the father on the son in a patriarchal society. The main elements of the essay, which employs the technique of textual analysis, are the collective discourses about women as represented in mainstream comedies and the hegemonic relationships between men found in the literature of hegemonic masculinity.

Hegemoniczna męskość i dywidenda patriarchatu. O społecznej teorii płci kulturowej Raewyn Connell

The article gives a brief introduction to the social theory of gender relations created by R. Connell. It discusses mainly the concept of hegemonic masculinity, showing its main features and present form. The article also underlines Connell’s understanding of cultural gender. Moreover, masculinity in different cultures and the sources of modern masculinity patterns are presented.

Being a Coptic Man: Masculinity, Class, and Social Change among Egyptian Copts

Inspired by Marcia Inhorn’s work on Arab masculinities, this article looks at changes in masculine ideals and practices among Egyptian middle-class Copts. Based on fieldwork among Copts in the city of Alexandria, Egypt, this article argues that young Coptic men embrace ideals of manhood that highlights conjugal connectivity and involved fatherhood at the expense of other social commitments; that in doing so, they define themselves in opposition to Muslim men of lower socioeconomic status, widely construed as their “masculine others”; and finally that these men ascribe to forms of masculinity that do not seem to reinforce patriarchal power relations, nor lend themselves to hierarchical placement in relation to otherwise dominant forms of masculinity within a predominantly Muslim society. As such, they constitute forms of masculinity that are parallel, but not subordinate to a “hegemonic masculinity,” challenging some of the central premises on which the concept of hegemonic masculinity is commonly based. The case of middle-class Coptic men point to the concept of “emergent masculinities” as a promising starting point for analyzing masculinity in diverse Arab societies.

‘Nobody comes to Baba for advice’: negotiating ageing masculinities in the Somali diaspora

ABSTRACTBased on a case-study of Somalis in Norway, this paper examines older male refugees’ seek for recognition in transnational social fields. Drawing on Honneth’s theory of intersubjective identity formation and Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity, it explores the ways in which they renegotiate respectable ageing masculinities within four spaces of recognition: socialisation in habitual spaces, volunteer work and associational involvement, return visits, and return migration. Habitual spaces constitute spheres where older men may gain respect for their traditional knowledge. Somali associations represent spaces allowing men to enact the prestigious role of oratorical advisors, which requires that they reinterpret this role for the new context. ‘Failed’ men negotiate social status through return visits or return migration. Older Somalis assert masculinity through ideas of class, Islam, and notions of male authority. Yet, generational-, gender-, clan-, and class divisions within the diaspora – combined with ethnic minority position- challenge the (re)construction of respectable masculinities. This article shows that a life course perspective is essential for understanding migrants’ (re-)construction of gender identities, as well as their transnational mobility and adaptation strategies. By focusing on the neglected field of ageing migrant masculinities, this article contributes to the emerging scholarships on transnational ageing and migrant masculinities.

Representation of Diasporic Chinese Wen Masculinities in A Native of Beijing in New York and A Free Life

Abstract This article mainly draws on Kam Louie’s wen/wu paradigm of Chinese masculinities and R. W. Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity to examine the representation of diasporic Chinese wen masculinities in the popular Chinese television drama A Native of Beijing in New York and Ha Jin’s novel A Free Life. The article argues that the two texts suggest there is no monolithic and static diasporic masculinity among contemporary immigrant Chinese wen men in the US; rather, immigrant Chinese wen men are constantly negotiating, forming and performing their diasporic masculinity according to their specific financial conditions, personal aspirations, as well as the economic situations in China.

Care, care work and the struggle for a careful world from the perspective of the sociology of masculinities

Feminist research often links the issues of care and care work to women, both theoretically and empirically. In this article we discuss the fact that, in contrast to such feminist approaches, theories of masculinity barely theorize care and care work. Fatherhood for instance is not included in Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity. Here, we investigate the ways in which men and the construction of masculinities are affected by ongoing restructuring processes that mark the move from Fordism to post-Fordism. Within the politics of masculinity in Europe, Caring Masculinities denote a key route towards the development of non-dominant masculinities. We discuss to what extent this can be a useful theoretical concept for research in this area.

Do Women Really Kill for Honor? Conceptualizing Women’s Involvement in Honor Killings

ABSTRACTSo far, women’s involvement in honor killings has been attempted to explain with the emphasis on either patriarchy or the concept of hegemonic masculinity. However, the current conceptualization of women involved in honor killings is not completely representative of all of the cases. The accurate portrayal of women’s involvement in such killings requires a broader understanding of particular circumstances of the female perpetrators, the whole dynamic behind honor killings, and of the particular relationship between victim and the perpetrator. Through reflecting on the narratives of five female perpetrators, this article aims to provide this missing focus.

What Is in a Song? Constructions of Hegemonic Masculinity by Zimbabwean Football Fans

ABSTRACTRaewyn Connell defines hegemonic masculinity as the most “honoured” way of being a man, and as such all men in patriarchal societies are expected to try to meet the standards of hegemonic masculinity (Connell and Messerschmitt 2005). It can be encountered in a variety of everyday contexts, one of which is sporting events. This article explores the authors’ ethnographic encounters with hegemonic masculinities amongst football fans in Zimbabwe, particularly in the songs they sing. Utilising Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity, the authors argue that Zimbabwean football fandom is entangled with hegemonic masculinities. The article demonstrates a simultaneously covert and subtle, but always complex, relationship between football fandom and masculinities, specifically hegemonic masculinity. The study’s major conclusion is that hegemonic masculinity is strongly discursive and occasionally occurs even in seemingly harmless mundane banter, such as stadium songs. Despite the sometimes jovial nature of these performances, there are power undercurrents involved.

Reflecting on twenty years of Masculinities: an interview with Raewyn Connell.

Raewyn Connell is very well known for her work on social theory and gender studies, and more specifically on masculinities. She was one of the founders of masculinities research and her 1995 book Masculinities is considered one of the most important references on the topic. Connell's concept of hegemonic masculinity has been particularly influential and has attracted much debate. She has written extensively about its applications to education, health, and violence prevention. Our conversation was about her trajectory as an intellectual, her commitment to gender justice, and the development of her work from Australia to the global scale.

“Becoming a Better Man”

Childhood emotional abuse (CEA) is the most common and psychologically harmful form of child abuse. While there has been attention to how gender discourses and power relations frame other forms of interpersonal violence and abuse, there has been no research into the gendered dimensions of CEA. This article reports on the findings from a qualitative interview study with men who have these backgrounds. The study was framed by a poststructural feminist understanding of gender, discourse, and power and R. W. Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity and social practices of gender. Narrative-discursive analysis revealed a powerful discourse about “becoming a better man” in spite of abuse through practices of hegemonic masculinity, particularly the control of emotion and prevailing over abusers. The article considers the positive and negative implications for abused men’s subjectivities as well as those for women and wider gender power relations. The article also considers gender-aware approaches for social workers and other professionals working with individuals who have these backgrounds.

Exploring NCAA Division I Athletic Administrator Perceptions of Male and Female Athletic Directors’ Achievements: A Photo Elicitation Study

This study employed the concept of hegemonic masculinity as an interpretive framework to explore NCAA Division I athletic administrator perceptions regarding the professional accomplishments of male and female athletic directors. Using photo elicitation methodology, athletic administrators (e.g., athletic directors, academic advisors/counselors for athletes, and coaches) responded to a photograph of and vignette about either a male or female athletic director. This study found that while some athletic administrators were supportive of the achievements of both male and female athletic directors, some subscribed to hegemonic masculinity, gendered stereotypes, and homologous reproduction. These findings have implications for stakeholders in the affairs of athletics who are committed to creating more equitable athletic environments.

Performance, power and condom use: reconceptualised masculinities amongst Western male sex tourists to Thailand

Each year large numbers of Western men travel to Thailand for sex tourism. Although many will use condoms during their sexual encounters, others will not, potentially exposing themselves to the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Although sex tourism in Thailand has been well documented, the social drivers underpinning voluntary sexual risk-taking through the avoidance of condoms remain poorly understood. Engaging with R.W. Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity and drawing on data collected from 1237 online discussion board posts and 14 face-to-face interviews, this study considers the ways in which understandings and performances of masculinities may inform the sexual risk-taking behaviours of Western male sex tourists. It argues that for some of these men, unprotected sex is viewed not as a reckless behaviour but, instead, as a safe and appropriate masculine practice, supported by relationships that are often framed as romantic and within a setting where HIV is still largely considered a homosexual disease. With sex workers often disempowered to request safer sexual practices, and some men’s attitudes towards unprotected sex resistant to external health promotion advice, the paper concludes by considering what this might mean for policy and practice.

Saved from hegemonic masculinity? Charismatic Christianity and men’s responsibilization in South Africa

In this article, the author explores the role of religion in social constructions of heterosexual masculinity in South Africa in the context of civil society driven programs to fight sexual and gender-based violence and the spread of HIV. Critically engaging with the concept of hegemonic masculinity and the sociological literature on gender relations in conservative Christian communities, the author examines how Charismatic Christian and Pentecostal communities in the townships of Cape Town negotiate their model of masculinity and gender authority in the context of the prevailing hegemonies of ‘traditional’ and ‘liberal’ masculinity. Based on ethnographic observations and qualitative interviews with Pentecostal men, the author specifies the concrete mechanisms whereby Pentecostalism both contributes to transform but also to reproduce rather than undermine hegemonic masculinity. He finds that Pentecostalism responsibilizes men not because men adopt its sexual ideology but because they adopt its model of personhood.

‘It is passable, I suppose’ – Adult Norwegian men’s notions of their own bodies

The aim of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of how men aged 40–90 years with different educational and ethnic backgrounds talk about their own bodies, and how social dimensions, especially masculinity and age, are reflected in their talk. Eighteen men from a small rural town in Norway were interviewed. The findings indicate that the men have a complex relationship to their own bodies. Three main themes were found in the way they talked about their own bodies: functionality in relation to their everyday life and in relation to sport and physical activity; physical and mental health; appearance both in relation to how their bodies were perceived by others and in relation to their own perception of their body. The three themes were not mutually exclusive and were often interwoven in terms of how they were talked about. The results are discussed in relation to theories of masculinity with a focus on Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity. One of the conclusions that can be drawn from the project is that the men expressed their relationships with their bodies in conflicting and complex ways, including concerns which can be interpreted as gendered and age-related.

Jerarquía de la masculinidad y su representación audiovisual en la serie Parks and Recreation

In this article, the concept of gender is tackled as a socio cultural construction, which determines a hierarchy that includes and put people on the margin from its representation of male and female acts, ideal for a social group. Gender discourse differentiation is the product of several social technologies such as communication media, institutional discourses, several epistemologies, and daily life actions. The concept of hegemonic masculinity and its representation in audio-visual products is examined through a semiotic analysis of male characters in the series Parks and Recreation (Daniels and Schur, 2009). The analysis offers examples of masculine hierarchy and features of hegemonic, subordinated, alternative, and marginal masculinities.

The Role of Hegemonic Masculinity and Hollywood in the New Korea

We argue that during the 1940s Hollywood films had an important role to play in the creation of a postwar South Korean society based on the new global U.S. hegemony. The connections between political and economic change in South Korea and socio-cultural factors have hitherto scarcely been explored and, in this context, we argue that one of the key socio-cultural mechanisms that supported and even drove social change in the immediate post-war period was the Korean film industry and its re-presentation of masculinity. The groundbreaking work of Antonio Gramsci on hegemony is drawn on - in particular, his understanding of the relationship between “commonsense” and “good sense” - as well as Raewyn Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity. The character of Rick in the 1941 Hollywood classic Casablanca is used to illustrate the kind of hegemonic masculinity favoured by the U.S. Occupation authorities in moulding cultural and political attitudes in the new Korea.

Top or bottom: a position paper

This paper builds on prior research that establishes the connection between femininity and gay men by adding sexual position identity, or one’s sexual role as a top, bottom or versatile, to the argument. Using concepts of hegemonic masculinity and censure, the paper examines the historic link between feminine pursuits of fashion and aesthetics and gay identity as well as contemporary views of ‘gayness’ to argue that gay men are censured by other gay men in order to conform to heteronormative expectations of gender. The mechanism for the censure is invoking the word ‘bottom’ to criticise gay men who have feminine traits. Data were gathered from casual interviews, conversations, blogs and vlogs and demonstrate the underlying tension between masculinity and femininity within the gay, male community and how the community has co-opted heteronormative concepts of gender.

The Quantifiable-Body Discourse

The majority of gay men are now meeting online; however, little is understood about how body presentations in cyberspace affect gay men’s intimate contacts. In this article, I develop the concept of the quantifiable-body discourse to illuminate how a dating Web site’s infrastructure measures the body, impacting how gay men interact with one another. Through in-depth interviews and analyzing profiles on a top gay personal Web site, I show how gay men numerically discuss and compare bodies online. Bolstered by Connell’s concepts of hegemonic masculinity and cathexis, I reveal how this quantification of bodies leads to the valuing and desiring of fit bodies and discriminating against fat bodies in cyberspace and off-line. I also illuminate how dating and “hookup” Web sites perpetuate hegemonic norms around bodies, beauty, and biopower.

Yauk gyar mann yin (Be a man!): masculinity and betel quid chewing among men in Mandalay, Myanmar

Betel quid chewing is associated with various oral cancers and other health concerns, including reproductive health issues. Nevertheless, the practice is widespread in Myanmar, especially among men. This qualitative study elucidates the gendered aspects of betel quid chewing by examining how it links with masculine ideology among male betel quid chewers in Mandalay, Myanmar. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus-group discussions, key-informant interviews and participant observation. The thematic content analysis was guided by Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity and Butler’s notion of gender performativity. The findings indicated that young Mandalay men were drawn to betel quid chewing by the value they gave to satisfying their curiosity, power competition, risk-taking and a display of manliness. Thus, the practice of betel quid chewing, as defined by our participants, was perceived as manly, trendy, stylish and sexually attractive. For adult men, betel quid chewing was a social lubricant that assisted them in talking with clients and co-workers, thus enhancing their economic opportunities with other men. It also helped working-class men to work harder. Betel quid chewing harm-reduction programmes therefore need to be mindful of masculinity issues as well as the economic aspects of betel quid chewing.