Critical Studies Of Masculinities Research Articles

Slippages in the Application of Hegemonic Masculinity: A Case Study of Incels

Although an important theoretical tool within the field of critical study of men and masculinities, mishandling of Connell’s theory of multiple masculinities and subsequent developments frequently overlooks the relational and legitimizing components central to the hegemonic masculine construct, producing conceptual ‘slippage’. This case study demonstrates such misapplication, examining four investigations within the emerging field of research concerning the antifeminist masculine performances and ideological constructs associated with involuntary celibates (incels). Each study lacks acknowledgement and demonstration of the political mechanics of relational legitimacy that define hegemonic masculinity, producing, instead, trait analyses of non-hegemonic dominant or dominating masculine behaviour resting on fixed, often toxic character types. As novel and emergent communities of men receive scholarly attention, it is important researchers heed repeated attempts to guide correct use of theory by engaging with the history and evolution of employed concepts.

Breaking the Mold: Masculinities and Family Dynamics in Detransition, Baby

There is a frequent impression that critical studies on men and masculinities focus exclusively on heterosexual, cisgender masculinities, which promote ideals of masculinity and exclude the masculinities of a range of men who do not comply with gender norms. Genderqueer men and masculinities have drawn scrutiny, and several works have addressed masculinities that diverge from the prevailing one. However, trans masculinities have largely been ignored. Even while research and theorization indicate a growing interest in subaltern masculinities relative to the hegemonic masculinities, trans men have generally not been seen as particularly relevant in the field of critical studies of men and masculinities. In this regard, Torrey Peter’s 2021 novel, Detransition, Baby, provides an excellent basis for comprehending how trans-masculinities fit into society and for analysing critical studies on men and masculinities from a transgender viewpoint. This research aims to contribute to the growing interest on transgender literature and gender studies by examining the representation of trans masculinities and non-traditional family relations in Detransition, Baby. It highlights the value of the work in depicting the complexity of gender identity, familial relationships, and cultural conventions, ultimately developing a broader knowledge of trans experiences and alternate family structures in modern literature.

Male Fertility-Related mHealth: Does It Create New Vulnerabilities?

Male fertility–related mHealth (MFmHealth), including smartphone applications that allow men to test their fertility at home, is getting some attention now and then. In this commentary, I argue that MFmHealth technology has the potential to undermine established norms around male reproduction but cannot be examined using traditional individualist frameworks in bioethics. Instead, theoretical literature on the concept of vulnerability in feminist bioethics allow a theoretical alliance with critical studies of men and masculinities. Proposed benefits like empowerment, shared responsibility, and democratization may justify disruptive innovation but may also obscure more fundamental ethical concerns about vulnerability and social justice.

A counter-story to the rags-to-riches narrative: A Finnish male model wearing hobo style during the deep depression in the age of AIDS

As a former male model whose modelling career lasted 25 years (1988–2013) and as a researcher, I am interested in the production of meanings and knowledge related to representations of masculinity. As a gay former male model who was classified as ‘other’ but represented the normative ideal and passed for straight in fashion shows and photographs, I look back on images of myself differently and against the grain. I analyse three of my fashion photographs – taken for the Finnish tabloid City in 1993, when AIDS was considered the ‘gay plague’, but never published – in terms of critical studies of masculinities, gay and sexuality studies, and queer theory. I speculate and examine gestures, facial expressions and poses in the photographs that were still intolerable and prevented their publication 30 years ago. The publication of my photographs now is concrete proof that masculine gestured performances are becoming more inclusive and diverse.

Maskuline Verschleierungstaktiken

Abstract Sexual violence against men is a neglected topic in the field of biblical studies. This article argues for a perspective informed by critical masculinity studies to understand sexual violence against men in an adequate way. It is used as a tool within masculine hierarchies to demean other men and their masculine performance. However, sexual violence against men is often hidden, in the texts as well as in their exegetical commentaries because sexual violence against men is almost unimaginable in common notions of successful masculinities. The article shows that sexual violence against men was used as a rhetorical tool in historical sources. Furthermore, it criticizes exegetical terminology about sexual violence against men (reversed rape, feminization) which conceal the impact of sexual violence on masculinities. The article closes with some considerations for further research.

Constructions of Masculinity in the Middle East and North Africa: Literature, Film, and National Discourse

Constructions of Masculinity in the Middle East and North Africa: Literature, Film, and National Discourse

Luke 1–9 by Barbara E. Reid OP and Shelly Matthews

Reviewed by: Luke 1–9 by Barbara E. Reid OP and Shelly Matthews Claudia Janssen barbara e. reid, op, and shelly matthews, Luke 1–9 (Wisdom Commentary 43A; Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2021). Pp. lxvii + 339. $49.95. For quite some time there have been very few feminist publications on the Gospel of Luke, so this commentary was long overdue. In the introduction, the authors Shelly Matthews and Barbara E. Reid describe their approach as feminist with an intersectional perspective: "As a feminist commentary this volume takes special interest in narratives on women in Luke, but our analysis is not restricted to the question of women alone" (p. xliii). Gender is linked to other issues of power and domination, such as status, (dis)ability, and prejudice owing to racial, ethnic, and religious difference. Two themes receive special attention: Luke's attitude toward Jews who do not follow Jesus, and the evangelist's portrayal of women. Interspersed with the authors' own exegetical remarks are several short articles by other authors that focus mostly on the reception of the Gospel in various cultural contexts, including issues of critical masculinity studies, postcolonial exegesis, or disabilitycritical interpretation of the salvation narratives. In their interpretation of the religious location of Luke's Gospel, the authors criticize interpretations which assume that Luke is "within Judaism" and which interpret the polemics against the Pharisees and other Jews as "intramural": "Luke's privileging of Jewish institutions such as the temple and Jewish texts is better understood as appropriation rather than appreciation" (p. lx). Luke proclaims that all of the Jewish Scriptures are fulfilled by Jesus and highlights the temple as the locus of revelation and worship. But the entire representation is linked to Christocentric concerns. R. and M. argue that the Jesus-centered attitude of the Gospel is a "form of proto-supersessionism." This laid the foundation for the later established Christian supersessionism as the boundaries between Jews and Christians became more firmly fixed. Both authors are concerned with overcoming anti-Jewish interpretations in the current reception of the texts. [End Page 508] At various points in the commentary, the authors make their different assessments of exegetical problems visible. This makes the reading particularly exciting, since the authors take very different positions on many issues. One example is the interpretation of the imperial language in the Magnificat (pp. 44–47). R. argues that Luke is countering Roman imperial values by offering Jesus's service in humility as a contrast to imperial power and arrogance. Thus, the Magnificat has subversive potential. M., on the other hand, is of the opinion that Luke is reinscribing imperial power rather than overturning it. God is portrayed as a warrior god who takes revenge on his enemies. Another central theme of the commentary is the question of whether Luke is a friend of women or the most dangerous book in the Bible. Their answer (p. lxii): It is likely that Luke was aware of women's presence, struggles, and agency in the early apostolic ministries, including instances of their leadership, but he restricted them to silent, passive supporting roles. For him, women and men have different ways of being disciples. The authors use feminist-critical methods to expose and challenge Luke's patriarchal biases and to recontextualize and reinterpret the text. Especially helpful are the "translation matters" sections, which provide brief explanations of individual words relevant to the interpretation. Following the introduction, the commentary offers an extensive exegesis of Luke 1–2, which includes a comprehensive reception of the feminist discussion of the last thirty years: An Orderly Account for Lovers of God (1:1–80); Divine Love Becomes Incarnate (2:1–52). The headings of the subsequent chapters are as follows: Beloved Son of God and All God's Children (3:1–38); Prophetic Mission Declared; Divided Responses (4:1–44); Male Disciples Called; Female Disciples in the Shadows (5:1–39); Multitudes of Women and Men Are Healed and Hear (6:1–49); Wisdom's Children Justified (7:1–50); Galilean Women Followers and Financiers (8:1–56); and The Cross That Should Not Be Taken Up (9:1–62). Other topics briefly covered in the context of interpreting each chapter...

Networked masculinities in South Africa: the #MensConference as a case study

ABSTRACT The role of digitally mediated networked publics in the co-production and negotiation of contemporary masculinities has not been widely researched in an African context. This paper explores networked masculinities on South African Black Twitter via the hashtag #MensConference, a fictional conference organized by men as a humorous rejection of Valentine’s Day. Drawing on a critical thematic analysis of a selection of tweets through the lens of critical masculinity studies, we uncover a wide range of masculinity discourses under the hashtag, across the traditional-liberal spectrum. While expressions of sexism and misogyny were widespread throughout the sample, men also upheld alternative and progressive models of manhood. The affordances of social media provided men with a space to express themselves, but also to police and contest notions of masculinity through in-group dynamics that worked to reinforce patriarchal hegemony. However, the interactions between black South African men on Twitter were defined by their specific social, economic and cultural context. The analysis demonstrates the critical role of social media, and Black Twitter in particular, as a key vehicle for both the reproduction and contestation of hegemonic masculinities in South Africa.

Comment: Socialism’s Mal(e)contents

This article reflects on how the authors in this Special Forum collectively advance the work in the subfield of critical masculinity studies. The several significant themes emerging in this collection of articles include: persistent state intervention in gender relations, the impact of longstanding patriarchal norms, the rapidly changing postwar gender equilibrium, and the continuing significance of war and martial masculinity. Furthermore, the Special Forum illuminates the importance of micro-histories and ego-documents to the study of masculinities in Central and East Europe. Finally, by framing agency as a relational process affected by a variety of constraints, these authors’ work marks a productive forward movement for the future study of critical masculinity studies more generally.

A gang of ironworkers with the scent of blood: A participation observation of male dominance and its historical trajectories at Swedish semi-professional ice hockey events

Ice hockey has traditionally been a male-dominated culture that has both promoted and legitimised masculine dominance and gender inequality. The question is, how might ice hockey games, or other male-dominated sports, be organised differently and thus become more gender equal? Our ambition in this article is to initiate a discussion about how the construction of gender in ice hockey events operationalises or opposes the dominance of men and the marginalisation of women. The specific purpose is to identify techniques that configure men/masculinities as dominant in the ice hockey culture. Taking critical studies of men and masculinities as the point of departure, with a specific focus on the situational aspects of gender construction, this case study makes use of participatory observations of eight qualification games in Swedish semi-professional ice hockey. Our results show that men and certain types of masculinity dominate in the events framing the game and how this links the ice hockey players and the club with the local body-worker culture and its industrial, economic and historical context. Identification with these men is ideally created amongst male spectators, given that children and women do not have the same obvious place in the event’s narrative. Some clubs seek to include women and children in their matches, which affects both the atmosphere and the situation. By focusing on the events’ introductions and general narratives, and how they make use of a (masculine) version of the place’s past in the present, we discuss how the ice hockey culture contributes to the current hegemony of men and masculinities.

Boys and bullying in primary school: Young masculinities and the negotiation of power

In this article, we draw on data from focus group discussions to examine the ways in which some young boys in a South African township primary school construct and negotiate hegemonic masculinity through bullying, and other forms of violence, within the school. Deviating from the simplistic victim-bully binary, we draw from critical masculinity studies to show how younger boys exert power over girls through violence but are, themselves, also victims of violence which, they say, is perpetrated by girls. Boys are often identified as bullies at school, but when we gave them the opportunity to talk about what it meant to be a bully, we gained a far more complex picture of how bullying behaviour manifests between learners at school. Indeed, our participants’ accounts of violence at school gave us great insights into the complexities of gender violence and highlighted the broader socio-cultural and economic conditions that produce it. We conclude that it is vital to understand the mechanisms of gender power relations among primary school learners, if primary school violence prevention interventions are to be effective.

Anxious postcolonial masculinity in online video games: race, gender and colonialism in Indian digital spaces

This article examines representative games from Zapak.com: India’s most-popular gaming website (highest number of daily visitors) to conceptualize the relationship between masculinity and colonialism within digital geographies, in postcolonial spaces. Three of the four games chosen here, Sleeping at the Meeting, Zombie Pirate and Yoga Teacher, are representative of games categorized as ‘Girl’s Games’ on Zapak.com: where the ludic engagement is limited to dressing and undressing of white women in a variety of professional or social contexts. The fourth game Bipasha’s Beach Blaze is a continuation of such reductive stereotyping, albeit in the different but culturally significant site of Bollywood. The four games were selected using a case-study methodology and represent discrete but related artifacts. Following a survey of key literature, the authors address the limitations of traditional game studies approaches and propose a replicable methodology located at the intersection of two epistemic frames: one of critical masculinity studies and the other of ludology. Through analyzing the strategic ideologies behind the production, circulation and the game-play of these digital artifacts we argue that Zapak.com not only enables online sexism but also becomes a representative digital space where anxious performances of postcolonial masculinity – that has its historical basis in India’s colonial legacy – can be materialized. Further in highlighting the status of these ‘Girl’s Games’ as artifacts that do not allow for any substantial ludic or narrative involvement – we emphasize the need to constantly interrogate digital spaces as sites where hegemonic ideologies about race, gender and colonialism are reproduced and reified.

Sporty Boys and Fashion Girls: Manoeuvring Between Dominant Norms of Gender Identity

The trigger for this article was the “Lévi-Straussian mythical formula” girls : boys = fashion : football, which came to the fore in the conversation with girls and boys aged 13 and 14 years. Amid the cacophony of ambivalent representations and meanings of modern masculinities and femininities which young people are facing, it schematically expresses traditional symbolic relations and gender differences. International studies at the crossroads of cultural, educational and gender studies, including critical studies of men and masculinities (Frosh et al., 2002; Zaslow, 2009; Haywood & Mac an Ghaill, 2007) show that teenagers use clothing practices to assert an imaginary boundary in relational and binary self-construction of masculine and feminine identity. The article analyses how teenagers deploy clothing practices, the strong attention they pay to their outfit and some other techniques of body self-regulation in order to negotiate social control and peer pressure related to the processes of the self-construction of masculine and feminine identity. The analysis looks at the peculiarities of these processes in doing hegemonic or marginalised masculinities and traditional or alternative femininities. Comparison of boys’ and girls’ (in intersections with classed and ethicised social locations) attitudes to clothing and outfit demonstrates that both experience the pressure of performing normative gender identity through their body, however the techniques of body self-regulation are different for boys and girls and for specific social locations. In the conclusion, the author reflects on the implications of teenagers’ doing gender through body and their outfit for the pedagogical situation.

Book Review: Young Working-Class Men in Transition (Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities)

Book Review: Young Working-Class Men in Transition (Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities)

Critical Masculinity Studies and Research on Violence Against Women: An Assessment of Past Scholarship and Future Directions.

This article investigates the role of critical masculinity theory on the field of violence against women (VAW). We conduct a meta-analysis to discern which theories of masculinity have been used within the journal Violence Against Women over the past 25 years. This search revealed that many articles use masculinity concepts but do not always articulate explicit theories of masculinity. We review hegemonic masculinity and male peer support, two of the most commonly used theories of masculinity and violence. We then discuss new developments within masculinity scholarship, including theories of manhood acts, inclusive masculinity, and hybrid masculinity, and consider how these perspectives can enhance the already robust scholarship on masculinity and VAW.

The pursuit of masculinity by young gay men in neoliberal Hong Kong and Shanghai

ABSTRACT Recent debates in critical studies of men and masculinities center around the intricate relationship between neoliberalism and male identity formation. Drawing on narratives from in-depth interviews with young gay men aged 18–28 conducted in Hong Kong (n = 25) and Shanghai (n = 20) between 2017 and 2018, this article argues that young Chinese gay men negotiate neoliberal heteronormative values and accomplish masculine ideals in the spheres of education, work, and sexuality. They conform to and protest heterosexual masculinity to create a more reflexive gender and sexual script of ‘being a man’. The family and sexual communities, both embedded with neoliberal values, serve as important social institutions that enable and limit development of the entrepreneur of the self. Using Chinese young gay men's narratives, the article argues that they are embarking on a journey to create their own scripts of masculinity under neoliberal hetero/homo-normative constraints. The article contributes to understanding of the gendered nature of neoliberalism and its impact on the self-making process of the post-90s generation of gay men.

Research Informed Youth Work Practice in Northern Ireland: Recommendations for Engaging Adolescent Boys and Young Men

ABSTRACT Since the latter part of the twentieth century there has been increasing recognition of the need for more effective approaches to engaging adolescent boys. Much of the focus in youth work practice and research has previously been dominated by attempts to better understand young male bio-social and cognitive development through examining high risk issues such as offending, violence, substance use, anti-social behaviour and mental health. The recent interest in critical studies of masculinities have further highlighted complex and contradictory ways in which traditional notions of becoming a man impact, often negatively, upon male behaviour and development. Despite increased awareness and concern about adolescent male development, practitioners across various professions frequently report finding it difficult to engage positively with certain young men and admit to lacking the confidence and skills to develop meaningful practice. This paper draws upon thirty years’ experience of youth work practice and social research carried out by the authors with adolescent boys within a divided and contested political context. However, while the article draws upon local research findings and practice experiences from Northern Ireland, we believe the learning will be of value to educators and practitioners working with adolescent boys in other societies and contexts.

Men in upheaval: integrating Hong Kong politics and critical studies of men and masculinities

In this short review, we explain the need for a multidimensional analytical framework for exploring how the construction of men and masculinities has shaped Hong Kong’s social and political development, and how politics both enable and constrain men in their lived experiences and practices in various life spheres at the city’s current political juncture. We observe that the majority of the extant research on men and masculinities in Hong Kong is depoliticized, whereas studies on current Hong Kong politics are largely gender-blind. However, the ever-tightening grip of the Chinese Communist Party and the instances of political resistance in response, namely, the Umbrella Movement of 2014 and Fishball Revolution of 2016, suggest that the influence of the wider political situation has penetrated every dimension of life, which has considerable implications for masculine identities and practices. Rather than continuing to conduct the depoliticized masculinity studies and genderless political studies we have seen to date, it is time for a thorough investigation of the dynamic intersection of men’s practices and the political context of Hong Kong.

Men on the margins? Reflections on recruiting and engaging men in reproduction research

While social science research into reproduction is a vibrant and growing field of scholarly activity, the majority of research is conducted with women and focuses on women’s lives. Reproduction research which does focus on men tends to overlook aspects such as pre-conception desires for parenthood and planning. Scholars have argued for a greater inclusion of men in reproduction research, yet there is a paucity of methodological literature addressing how best to do so. This article reports methodological reflections from a qualitative study into men’s perceptions and intentions regarding the ‘right time’ to have children. It does this in reference to Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities – which foregrounds men as gendered beings and comprises the study of the gendered nature of men’s lives – as both a theoretical position influencing study conception and design and as an explanatory framework for enhancing understanding of the research encounter. The first part of the article describes the Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities–informed study conceptualisation and design, specifically the decisions to include unpartnered men in the sample and to address the absence of men in reproduction research in recruitment materials. It then goes on to discuss the most effective recruitment strategy employed, recruiting through informal gatekeepers, and to consider the consequences of this. The second part of the article presents data from the male participants pertaining to their stated motivations for participating, which relate to interest, helpfulness, and in response to perceived marginalisation, as well as their reflections on the interview encounter as enabling them to construct a narrative. It aims to extend knowledge and understanding regarding engaging men in reproduction research and to illustrate the utility of Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities for doing so, and in doing so to advance both reproduction research and discussions of Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities and methodology more broadly.

Fiktionen des Männlichen: Männlichkeitsforschung in der Literaturwissenschaft by Stefan Krammer

Reviewed by: Fiktionen des Männlichen: Männlichkeitsforschung in der Literaturwissenschaft by Stefan Krammer Michael Boehringer Stefan Krammer, Fiktionen des Männlichen: Männlichkeitsforschung in der Literaturwissenschaft. Vienna: Facultas, 2018. 232 pp. Although critical masculinity studies is still predominantly within the purview of the social sciences, questions of masculinity and maleness have by now spread to other disciplines in the sciences and humanities, including literary studies. Stefan Krammer's book Fiktionen des Männlichen is a welcome addition to the growing corpus of literary masculinity research in the German-speaking academic world for two reasons: First, Krammer focuses primarily on Austrian literature (oft en in contrast to a corresponding German text), and second, he presents a unique focus on the gendered construction and knowledge creation of the state, as well as the relationship between state and gender, especially with respect to the organization of a (binary) gender order. This dual focus provides the book, which is based on previously published articles, with the necessary coherence. The selection of literary texts is broad, ranging from the century to today, albeit with distinct emphases on the interwar years and the late twentieth century. Theoretically and methodologically, Krammer positions himself firmly in the poststructuralist camp. His deconstructionist reading tactics are informed by a wide range of theoretical approaches including Butlerian gender and performativity theory, Crenshawian intersectionality theory, Lacanian psychology, and Foucauldian discourse analysis, although he also acknowledges the influence of sociological concepts, such as hegemonic masculinity (Connell), habitus (Bourdieu), and masquerade (Bethien and Stephan). While this may seem like an overstuffed grab bag of trendy identity theories, Krammer skillfully deploys the various concepts and approaches to examine a number of key discursive formations around masculinity and to present insightful readings of a wide range of prose texts, dramas, and even one film. The book is divided into six chapters, each of which focuses on one thematic unit or Themenbereich. Following the introduction, which outlines [End Page 122] the structure of the book, chapter 2 provides an excellent overview over the genesis of masculinity studies from its beginnings as a reaction to role theory in the 1970s, via the sociologically based attempts to broaden the theorization of masculinity to the concept of multiple masculinities (Brod, Kimmel, Connell, Bourdieu, Meuser) and their persisting reliance on a binary gender order. This is followed by an overview over potential points of engagement for literary masculinity studies, ranging from the author and male hegemony in the literary field to the act of reading and a gender-sensitive reader-reception theory, and last but not least, gender-oriented analyses of the literary text, its structures, themes, and inscriptions of the gender dyad. Krammer also provides an up-to-date (if brief) summary of the burgeoning field of literary masculinity studies in the German-language context. His argument that theoretical positions derived from postcolonial and queer studies not only are light-years ahead of current masculinity research but also imply the obsolescence of gender categories and therefore the discipline itself (29), cannot convince, as the political project that critical masculinity studies are beholden to remains an urgent one—and is far from complete. Yet overall, this chapter offers one of best introductions to the scope and range of literary masculinity studies that I have read to date. The remainder of the book is divided into four chapters, each of which covers a different thematic area followed by exemplary close readings of individual texts in separate sub-chapters. Each of these chapters and many subchapters are prefaced with a theoretical discussion that highlights the particular approach to the theme, making this a theory-heavy but rewarding undertaking. Chapter 3 focuses broadly on male rule and chapter 4 on vestimentary performances of masculinity (think: men in uniform); chapter 5 revisits the well-worn theme of masculinity in crisis (albeit with a constructionist slant), and chapter 6. discusses new masculinities beyond traditional genealogical conventions. While the chapter titles imply a tight focus on literary productions of masculinities in various contexts, some of the readings foreground structural features of the texts (genre conventions, rhetoric, list of characters) or institutional structures (school, military, family, religion), where masculinity plays a subordinate role to an overarching concern...