Concept Of Hegemonic Masculinity Research Articles

PARADIGMS OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF MASCULINITY IN OUR TIME: HAVE WE OVERCOME IT?

This article proposes a debate on gender identity issues, with a main focus on masculinity in the 21st century. Moving towards a perspective that is not limited to sexuality, the concept of hegemonic masculinity is explored, influenced by several theoretical fields, such as cultural, sociological and psychoanalytic studies. The methodology adopted involves writing about oneself and remembering personal experiences, highlighting the importance of this reflection on subjectivities in the training of future teachers. The results and discussions address the influence of patriarchy and the historical construction of masculinity, as well as its hegemonic manifestations in various social contexts, such as education, work and health. It is concluded that hegemonic masculinity perpetuates male domination over women and non-normative men, but its definition and practice are complex and varied, and it is important to consider individual and contextual particularities in the analysis of male identities.

‘Yes, I’m an Elite athlete and I’m Gay’: Experiences of elite gay male athletes in Spain

There is a broad academic consensus that sexual minorities have been marginalised in sports culture. The present research is the first to explore the experiences of gay male elite athletes in Spain. Drawing on 11 semi-structured interviews with these athletes, this paper focuses on the experiences of being gay in elite sport. Guided by Connell's concept of hegemonic masculinity and the process of individualisation, our findings show that all the athletes have experienced or witnessed homonegativity, but at the same time have been empowered by sport. These athletes are paving the way for a more diverse masculinity in sport and making male homosexuality more visible. For continued improvements, it is important to implement more effective, inclusive sports policies and to introduce specific training for stakeholders.

Male Writing on the Body-Territory of Two Rural Multigrade Schools

This paper explores the construction of masculinities in two rural multigrade schools located in Boyacá, Colombia, and San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Using an ethnographic approach, the daily dynamics and relationships between children and educational communities were investigated, focusing on how male children hegemonically dominate the playground. This dominance is based on a hierarchy where physical prowess confers greater male status. Rural schools are seen as bodies of domination where hegemonic masculinities are manifested, although affective practices that challenge this hegemony are also observed. Theoretically, the analysis is supported by concepts of hegemonic masculinity and gender regime of Connell (1995, 2001, 2016) and the masculinity mandate of Segato (2003). The methodology included observation of educational contexts, field diary records and interviews with teachers, students and family members. In San Luis Potosí, boys are organized in a "gang" that defends an exclusive space and excludes girls, reinforcing male dominance. In Boyacá, male "teams" occupy the playing field, excluding both girls and other males who do not meet the standards of hegemonic masculinity. Affective relationships also play an important role, as boys express affection and love in more private spaces such as bathrooms, challenging adult-centered authority

Making Men out of Boys

With Richa Jha and Gautam Benegal’s picturebook The Unboy Boy (2013), India acquired the notion of alternative masculinity in children’s literature for perhaps the first time, and initiated the depiction in picturebooks of male characters who love soft toys, cook, dance, and dress in a way considered feminine. This article turns the critical lens toward gender codes that form the basis for masculinity discourses. Primarily drawing on Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity, it explores how contemporary Indian picturebooks in English are challenging the representation of traditional masculinity. Through the lens of content analysis, this qualitative research adopts a multimodal approach and scrutinizes three other picturebooks: Abba’s Day (2017) by Sunaina Ali and Debasmita Dasgupta, Kali Wants to Dance (2018) by Aparna Karthikeyan and Somesh Kumar, and Guthli Has Wings (2019) by Kanak Shashi.

Masculinity as a ‘hard small cage’? Reflections from Chimamanda Adichie’s We should all be feminists

With data from YouTube, this paper examines some masculinity issues raised by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in her TEDx talk ‘We should all be feminists’ and some selected interviews. She problematizes the masculine ideal of suppressing emotions and acting tough and uses them to gauge how masculinity can be described as a ‘cage’. To exemplify how this ‘cage’ might look like in reality, I draw on evidence from the literature on masculinity and men’s health as well as data from an unpublished document on discourses of fear and anxiety among male COVID-19 survivors in Ghana. Using the concept of hegemonic masculinity, I argue that the plethora of evidence in the literature suggest that (hegemonic) masculine norms indeed constrain men in ways that may have dire consequences, not only for their ego, but also for their health; hence, Chimamanda’s call to change the existing discourse is in order. Focusing on the ‘cage’ metaphor (including its qualifiers), however, I question Chimamanda’s description of masculinity since it suggests as though there is no room for contestation – something which weakens her own call for changing the narrative. The paper therefore proposes going beyond the kind of cage Chimamanda equates masculinity with, to make way for the needed interventions.

Gender and Fundamentalism in Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns

This paper aims to challenge the reductionist views of Islam and Muslim women in Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns (2017). In doing so, this paper explores the connection of gender discourse with the Islamic political movement in Hosseini's novel. It also seeks to challenge the gendered bias in the novel by using Amina Wadud's concept of Islamic Feminism. Through the subjugated life of women's characters, the concept of hegemonic masculinity is applied to give an in-depth analysis of gender relations and fundamentalism in the novel. The research focuses on understanding misogynist attempts that marginalized women and legitimized gender inequality. The findings indicate that hegemonic masculinity is unquestionably backed up under the fundamentalist's reign of the Mujahideen and the Taliban with their implementation of Sharia law. Furthermore, the characters have shown dissimilar attitudes in facing the situations. As the main male character, Rasheed is depicted as a manifestation of the misogynistic setting created by both regimes. Meanwhile, the two main female characters show strength, resistance, and resilience in facing the unequal systems. However, while the fundamentalist justifies their action by using Islam as their shield, it is written in the Quran that Islam never discriminates against women but encourages their fundamental rights. Thus, Hosseini's novel complicates the ideas of gender, fundamentalism, and masculinity through the complex relationships of his characters within their families and societies. However, these complex societies do not represent Islam or the Muslim communities as the Muslim world is not only in Afghanistan, but many countries, such as Egypt, Pakistan, and Indonesia, practice Islam in a very different way from those in Afghanistan Hosseini's novel.

Contradictions of hegemonic masculinity and the (hopeful) potential of old age and caring masculinity in Estonian society and in films A Friend of Mine (2011) and Tangerines (2013)

Despite having a significant impact on how we perceive ageing, cultural representations of old age, particularly depictions of old men, have received little attention. This is especially true regarding the cinemas of small nations and Eastern European film. Some authors claim that this gap in knowledge unintentionally repeats a widespread cultural assumption of associating masculinity with young and middle age men (Saxton & Cole, 2012, pp. 97–98). Old age has a complex relationship with the hegemonic variant of masculinity, which, as defined by R. W. Connell and James W. Messerschmidt, opposes itself to femininities and oppresses alternative forms of masculinities (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005, p. 832). As hegemonic masculinity presupposes that one is physically and/or socioeconomically in their prime, old age appears to be inversely correlated with it, offering an opportunity to rethink masculinities. At the same time, as the films analysed in this article will show, becoming marginalised in old age, often due to hegemonic masculinity, does not necessarily lead one to abandon its principles.Caring masculinity has recently been discussed as a non-hierarchical alternative to hegemonic masculinity (Hanlon, 2012; Elliott, 2016; Ruby & Scholz, 2018; Chatzidakis et al., 2020; Hyvönen, 2021). So far, caring is socially constructed as feminine (see also Reskin, 1988). Despite the growing labour market participation of females, the gender care gap is not closing at the same speed and remains the chief source of the ‘patriarchal dividend’ (Connell, 1995). Men's changing relation to care, at least regarding one's own children, has been the focus of policy reform, but less so men's relation to care more broadly. Theories that aim to explain the gender inequality in care work usually do not engage with critical studies of men and masculinity along with the concept of hegemonic masculinity (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005). Care's intersectionality with ageing and masculinities especially merits further study. This article will frame caring masculinity as well as the social context regarding care and old age in Estonia. Following this, the representation of these topics will be analysed in two Estonian films: A Friend of Mine (Kivastik, 2011) and Tangerines (Urushadze, 2013), in which such concerns are central.

’I’m quite tired of people saying that I don’t do enough or know anything’: male hegemony and resistance in the context of women’s online communication on doping

This article aims to describe and analyse how female doping users discuss their doping practices and interact with other community members in an online forum. The article analyses women’s narratives and how these relate to hegemonic gender configurations as regards doping and the doped female body. Analytically, the concept of hegemonic masculinity is used to approach notions of doped bodies and to investigate how women meet and possibly resist dominant gender hierarchies through doping use. The article utilises a netnographic approach to the research and data is based on discussion threads started by 45 women on a Swedish website and forum called Flashback. The results show how women entering the forum are encouraged to present their doping experiences and trajectories following a certain template through which lifestyle choices, diet, bodily ambitions, and more are explicitly addressed. Even though following the template and thereby using the correct and culturally accepted form for communication, the content is valued on the basis of hegemonic conceptualisations and understandings, which in itself results in women’s rationales and goals often being downplayed by male commentators. Accordingly, the women’s chances of establishing a space within the community, as fully accepted members, are limited. The women describe how their doping narratives are challenged based on their being women, in a way that has no equivalent for male members. In response to such criticism, some women decide to opt out of the forum, while others respond to the criticisms directed toward women, challenging the heteronormative and masculine hegemony.

Political rhetoric, identities, and dominant gender representations: hegemonic masculinity in service of pro-austerity rhetoric in Greek political discourse

ABSTRACT This article examines the construction of hegemonic masculinity in Greek political discourse, by analysing minutes from the Greek Parliament at the height of the economic crisis in 2010–2012. Based on Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity and the application of a discursive approach inspired by Laclau and Mouffe ([1985]. Hegemony and socialist strategy: Towards a radical democratic politics. London: Verso), the article asks: (1) which discourses constituted the rhetoric of Greek elite politicians regarding economic policies during the crisis and (2) which hegemonic concepts of masculinity and femininity did Greek elite politicians elaborate upon and discursively position themselves in. It also reflects on the implications of the gendered speeches of these elite politicians. The article shows how the rhetoric of elite politicians includes different identities normatively related to manhood. The article argues that the construction of these gender dominant gender representations in the political discourse has severe implications in terms of functioning as a means of justification of austerity measures in Greek economy with negative consequences for politics and society. It is also argued that by adopting elements of hegemonic masculinity, Greek elite politicians contribute to creating an image of a powerful man to whom citizens should adhere, hence reproducing the male (white and heterosexual) norm.

Of predators and new men: how ideology matters in constructing military masculinities

There is a growing literature on variations of military masculinities in armed groups which focuses mainly, but not exclusively, on Leftist guerrilla groups. Although these empirical studies deal with military masculinities in highly ideologized contexts, it remains theoretically and conceptually unclear how exactly ideology and masculinity constructions are interrelated. Drawing inspiration from civil war literature, I make the theoretical argument that ideology matters in the form of the military masculinity an armed group seeks to construct. I build on the concept of hegemonic masculinity, highlighting its practice-theoretical implications of which the notion of background knowledge is of particular interest. Here, I locate configurations of masculinity as well as ideology. Conceptualizing armed groups as total institutions, ideology, first, shapes the form of the institution and, secondly, is itself conveyed to combatants via socializing practices. It is via these same socialization processes that not only masculinities are carefully constructed but that these gender constructions are thoroughly shaped by ideological thought. My theoretical argument allows for a more nuanced explanation of ideology and military masculinities and, thus, further adds to broader Feminist debates about their variation. At the end, I illustrate the added value of my theoretical argument with empirical notes on the Salvadoran Frente Farabundo Martí de la Liberación Nacional (FMLN).

Caring masculinity as caring capital in the field of marriage: Chinese rural migrant men’s engagement with digital dating

ABSTRACT The concept of hegemonic masculinity has been used in Chinese sociology since the early-2020s to explain Chinese wealthy men’s power over women in the market reform era. Scholars have also paid attention to the ways in which rural, working-class men achieve a sense of manhood, but the links between digital media and gender theory have often not been explored. To fill in this gap, this article examines the ways in which Chinese rural migrant heterosexual men sophisticatedly employ digital technology and gain advantages in the highly competitive field of marriage, translating savvy digital media usage into cultural capital. Research findings drawing upon our long-term ethnography offer substantial evidence of a relationship between men’s active use of digital technology, caring practices, and the desirability of rural migrant men. As such, we develop the concept of caring capital in relation to men’s ability to: master romantic online courting manners, display caring behaviors during follow-up offline courtship, and please their (future) parents-in-law. Research limitations are discussed.

Masculinities in Africa beyond crisis: complexity, fluidity, and intersectionality

Rapidly changing and divergent everyday realities on the African continent call for a more differentiated examination of the complex experiences and representations of men than is offered by the discourse on the ‘crisis of masculinity’, which depicts men as being criminal, violent, dominant, and irresponsible. By contrast, this introduction to the themed section ‘Masculinities in Africa beyond Crisis: Complexity, Fluidity, and Intersectionality’ aims to engage critically with the concept of hegemonic masculinity and argues that multiple images of masculinities co-exist in Africa and beyond. To comprehend new discourses and practices around masculinities, we must consider the question of how masculinities emerge. Discourses and practices relating to masculinities and manhood are situationally and relationally adopted, contested, transformed, and reconfigured. In this special issue, we closely analyse individual’s daily efforts ‘to be “good men”, as well as “good at” being men’ (Inhorn and Isidoros 2018, 2) in times of political, social, and economic transformations. We aim at examining how ideas and practices of masculinities shape individual and collective agency on social, economic, political, and cultural levels. Paying attention to the historical, geographical, and cultural diversities of masculinities in African countries, we discuss how images of masculinities evolve and become manifest in everyday life and analyse how these imaginations circulate within translocal and transnational spaces. We thereby pay close attention to how gender intersects with other identities, such as age, class, race, ethnicity, and sexuality.

Virile Infertile Men, and Other Representations of In/Fertile Hegemonic Masculinity in Fiction Television Series

Fiction television series are one of the few cultural expressions in which men’s infertility experiences are represented. Through a content analysis of twenty fiction series, this article describes and analyzes such representations. By drawing on Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity and Ricoeur’s understanding of paradoxical power structuring, four character types of infertile men are identified: (1) the virile in/fertile man, (2) the secretly non-/vasectomized man, (3) the intellectual eunuch, (4) the enslaving post-apocalyptic man. While these various dramatis persona outline different ways of how infertile men relate to normative hegemonic masculinity, they all represent infertile men as diverging from shared masculine norms. This non-normativity initially excludes many represented men from hegemonic positions. Eventually, however, these men generally aspire to and succeed in reaffirming their hegemonic masculinity through coercive force towards women and other men, through instigating the precondition for any power structure – the shared will to live together as a community –, and/or by seeking and finding explicit recognition for their normativity and dominance. At the end of this paper, I will reflect on the potential harmful effect of these outlined representations of infertile men and make a plea for diversifying representations of infertile men in our culture.

Men’s gendered experiences of rehabilitation and recovery following traumatic brain injury: A reflexive thematic analysis

ABSTRACT Research shows that gender influences men’s health-related beliefs and behaviours – including those within the context of traumatic brain injury (TBI) – making it a factor that should be considered when designing and implementing interventions for this population. To incorporate an understanding of such gendered influences in future educational materials for men with TBI, as well as their caregivers and clinicians, this qualitative study was informed by social constructionism, and aimed to explore how gender is related to men’s post-TBI perceptions and behaviours in rehabilitation and recovery. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 men with mild and moderate-severe TBI at the acute (≤ 3 months post-TBI) and chronic (> 3 months post-TBI) phases of injury. A reflexive thematic analysis approach was applied to interview data, guided by the concept of hegemonic masculinity as described by Connell, R.W. (2005. Masculinities [2nd ed.]. Polity). Three key themes were identified: (1) “I’m a man, I’m a rock”: Undermining treatment, (2) “I’m going to face that challenge”: Facilitation of recovery, and (3) “I don’t feel as useful as a guy as I was before”: Perceptions on return to work. These findings may be translated into gender-informed therapy strategies and materials.

Freeter, Arafo, House Husband: Shifting Values of Hegemonic Masculinity and Emphasized Femininity in Four Japanese Television Dramas

This study examines the shifting values of masculinity and femininity in four Japanese television dramas: At Home Dad (2004), Around 40 (2008), Freeter, Buy a House (2010), and Wonderful Single Life (2012). These corpus data are analyzed using Connell’s concepts of hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity. The findings of this study focus on the following: 1. Characters in the four television dramas challenge the dominant discourses of masculinity and femininity by living as freeters, house husbands, and arafos. 2. To criticize hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity, these dramas depict the negative aspects of living a rigid lifestyle encompassed by traditional gender roles and feature main characters who show alternative lifestyles of masculinity and femininity. 3. Hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity values shadow the emergence of alternative masculinity and femininity in contemporary Japanese society.

‘A horror movie with a happy ending’: childbirth from the father’s perspective

ABSTRACT This article analyzes how men in Chile narrate the birth of their first child in order to understand how they elaborate their masculine identity in the feminized field of reproduction. It seeks to make a contribution to masculinity studies by (a) describing the position that men have in childbirth and (b) applying the concept of hegemonic masculinity to the context of reproduction. We conducted in-depth interviews with 22 first-time fathers, before and after the baby’s arrival. Our findings show how interviewees feared falling short of gendered expectations. During labor, they hoped to protect the woman but later realized they had no control. In their accounts of the birth, the men: (a) incorporate elements of hegemonic masculinity in order to present a more respectable masculine identity and (b) incorporate elements associated with the feminine in order to put themselves in a more central position in relation to the baby. For these fathers, hegemonic masculinity is valid as an ideal with which they seek to align themselves so as to give legitimacy to their position in the reproductive context. There are, however, signs that this ideal is changing so that a deep early bond with the newborn child becomes ‘the manly thing to do.’

BANGTAN SONYEONDAN IN AMERICA: SOFT MASCULINITY PERFORMANCE AND AUDIENCE RESPONSE

Before their name resonates in American music charts and award shows, BTS experienced a shift in their display of masculinity, from showcasing complicit masculinity towards hegemonic norms to challenging the socially accepted values of being men by performing soft masculinity. Nonetheless, they still manage to snatch tens of thousands of fans' hearts, especially in the United States. Since female fans dominate the fandom, BTS's male fans are often overlooked in existing studies. With the purpose of analyzing BTS’s display of soft masculinity and comparing female and male fans' perceptions of non-hegemonic masculinity, this research studies BTS’s performances and does not only focus on female fans' views on soft masculinity but also those of male fans. Online surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted to unravel American fans' perception of soft masculinity. Using Jung’s concept of soft masculinity alongside with Connell's concept of hegemonic masculinity, this research found that although soft masculinity is widely accepted among American BTS fans, hegemonic masculinity continues to remain among male audience.

Hegemonic masculinity and terrorism: the case of the PKK and Abdullah Öcalan

ABSTRACT Recent years have seen an increase in the study of the relationship between gender and terrorism. This article analyzes the relationship between hegemonic masculinity and terrorism through the case of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan or PKK) and its leader Abdullah Öcalan. Using the method of narrative analysis, the study first examines the concept of hegemonic masculinity. The study attempts to make sense of how the concept of hegemonic masculinity operates within the PKK. To achieve this goal, the study demonstrates the major functions of hegemonic masculinity within terrorist organisations. Accordingly, it is argued that the perspective of masculinity studies can be used to gain a better and highly instructive understanding of political violence and terrorism.

The healthcare experience of prostate cancer patients: exploring the intersection of age and gender

Although researchers have conducted extensive studies of the psychoso­cial impacts of prostate cancer and its treatment on men’s bodies, mascu­linity and sexuality, little attention has been devoted to the intersection of gender and age in the healthcare experience of this illness. Based on data collected through direct observation in four French public hospitals, and 65 semi-directive interviews with prostate cancer patients, their relatives and healthcare professionals, this article aims to examine how age and gender shape care pathways. We argue that combining the concept of hegemonic masculinity with an intersectional approach may provide an adequate theoretical framework for analysing the plurality of men’s pros­tate cancer healthcare experience. Four steps of the patient care process are successively analysed to assess how the patient experience of illness may be influenced by power relations that interact with individual charac­teristics: screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care.

THE AMBIVALENCE OF LIFE IS STRANGE IN PORTRAYING ITS FEMALE CHARACTERS

Nowadays, there has been a new trend in the video game industry to unleash the stereotypical female characters as a response to the increasing criticism toward gender equality in the video game industry. Life is Strange is one example of video games that challenges typical female characters who are usually described as powerless and objectified. However, such a progression has not amended the problematic female representation completely within its narrative. By using the concept of hegemonic masculinity, this paper discusses the ambivalences in Life is Strange in challenging stereotypical female representations. The result of the analysis shows that although Life is Strange successfully subverts the female physical representation through its design, the narrative still perpetuates hegemonic masculinity by means of sacrificial heroine and lesbianism eroticization.DOI:10.24071/ijhs.2019.030102