Masculine Role Research Articles

Gendered choices

This paper examines the use of Spanish and English, as well as collaborative discourse sequences, of four fourth graders in a bilingual classroom in terms of how they are used to construct gender identity. The analysis shows how language practices can become gendered through both societal and interactional norms and practices. The two girls’ use of English to construct their identities as best friends becomes part of the construction of femininity through the influence of both macro-social gender roles and the girls’ own linguistic repertoires and behavior in this community of practice. Further, both boys and girls use collaborative speech, but their aims of collaboration differ in ways that draw on hegemonic masculine roles in society as well as the personal agendas of the speakers.

“You feel like you can’t live anymore”: Suicide from the perspectives of Canadian men who experience depression

Severe depression is a known risk factor for suicide, yet worldwide men’s suicide rates continue to outnumber reported rates of men’s depression. While acknowledging that the pathways to suicide are diverse, and being mindful of the complex challenges inherent to studying suicide, we interviewed men who experienced depression as a means to better understanding the processes they used to counter and contemplate suicide. This novel qualitative study provides insights on how masculine roles, identities and relations mediate depression-related suicidal ideation in a cohort of 38 men in Canada, ranging in age from 24 to 50 years-old. Constant comparative analyses yielded the core category of reconciling despair in which men responded to severe depression and suicidal ideation by following two pathways. To counter suicide actions, connecting with family, peers and health care professionals and/or drawing on religious and moral beliefs were important interim steps for quelling thoughts about suicide and eventually dislocating depression from self-harm. This pathway revealed how connecting with family through masculine protector and father roles enabled men to avoid suicide while positioning help-seeking as a wise, rational action in re-establishing self-control. The other pathway, contemplating escape, rendered men socially isolated and the overuse of alcohol and other drugs were often employed to relieve emotional, mental and physical pain. Rather than providing respite, these risky practices were the gateway to men’s heightened vulnerability for nonfatal suicidal behaviour. Men on this pathway embodied solitary and/or risk taker identities synonymous with masculine ideals but juxtaposed nonfatal suicidal behaviours as feminine terrain.

The Elvis We Deserve: The Social Regulation of Sex/ Gender and Sexuality Through Cultural Representations of ‘The King’

This paper analyses the way in which the image, masculinity and sexual identity of Elvis Presley have been recently culturally deployed by particular social groups. It explores the way in which the image of Elvis is used by lesbian drag king performers who try to queer the cultural stereotypes which underpin the social regulation of gender roles; and the use of Elvis’s image by the U.K. fathers’ rights campaign group Fathers 4 Justice, as a sign of unthreatening familiarity to support traditional heteronormative ideas of masculinity and gender roles. These cultural re-appropriations of Elvis raise questions for contemporary understandings of sex/gender and sexuality; as the motto of the San Francisco-based Elvis impersonator ‘‘Extreme Elvis’’ suggests, “Every generation gets the Elvis it deserves.”

Perspectivas sobre papéis de gênero masculino e feminino: um relato de experiência com mães de meninas vitimizadas

O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar os papéis masculinos e femininos expressos por mães de meninas vítimas de violência intrafamiliar. A perspectiva de gênero relacionada à manutenção e ao enfrentamento desse tipo de violência também foi avaliada. Participaram do estudo nove mães, com idades entre 26 e 68 anos, atendidas em uma instituição em teresina, Piauí. Foram realizados três encontros nos quais eram usadas técnicas projetivas, corporais e psicodramáticas. Os resultados apontaram que concepções machistas passadas pelas mães no processo educativo, a constante associação da representação masculina como uma figura violenta e o não reconhecimento das mães sobre suas capacidades são fatores relevantes para a manutenção da violência. É importante que, no contexto da violência, intervenções abordem temas como cidadania e o conhecimento de serviços e políticas públicas, a fim de protegerem e empoderarem as mulheres e suas filhas no enfrentamento da violência.

Connecting Masculinity and Depression Among International Male University Students

International university students can experience isolation amid academic pressures. Such circumstances can manifest as or exacerbate depression. This qualitative study involved 15 international male students at a Canadian university who were diagnosed or self-identified as having depression. Individual interviews revealed men's perspectives about causes, implications, and management of depression. Participants intertwined sex- and gender-based factors in detailing causes, and emphasized the potential for parents to impact depression. Implications of depression for embodying traditional masculine roles of breadwinner and career man influenced many men to filter details about their illness within "home" cultures. This practice often prevailed within Canada despite the men's perceptions that greater societal acceptance existed. Masculine ideals underpinned self-management strategies to fight depression and regain control. Counter to men's reluctance to disclose illness details were participants' self-management preference for peer-based support. Study findings highlight how masculine ideals and cultural constructs can influence depression experiences and expressions.

Social torture: the case of northern Uganda, 1986-2006

Acknowledgements List of Tables, Charts & Diagrams List of Illustrations List of Acronyms Map Of 'Protected Villages' in which Fieldwork Was Conducted Chapter 1. Introduction The Mainstream Discourse of Today's Wars Building Blocks of a Counter-Narrative Impacts Actors Benefits and Functions Justifications Elaborating a Model of Social Torture Overview of the Book Chapter 2. The Research Process Institutional Setting Working in a 'War Zone' Conceptual Challenges Horizontal Segmentation or Vertical Linkages? Acknowledging Peoples' Agency Ethical Considerations Methods Adopted Composition of the Research Team In-Depth Key-Informant Interviews Audio-Visual Data Media Monitoring Research Integrated with Programming - The Use of Focus Groups Dealing with Findings Discussion and Conclusions Subjectivity and Objectivity Chapter 3. An Overview of the Situation in Northern Uganda Introduction The Build-Up to War Phase I (1986 to 1988) Phase II (1988 to 1994) Phase III (1994 to 1999) Phase IV - Amnesty for 'Terrorists' (2000 to 2002) Phase V - Operation Iron Fist and Its Aftermath (2002 to 2003) Phase VI - November 2003 to June 2006 Phase VII - June 2006 Onwards The War As People Remember It Discussion Some Concluding Questions Chapter 4. Reconsidering the LRA-Government Dynamic Introduction The LRA's Ambiguities Composition The Extent of Civilian Support Links with the Lord's Resistance Movement The Role of the Media in Creating Ambiguity The LRA's Modus Operandi Administration and Control Survival and Proxy Warfare LRA Motivations and Politics Politics of Rejection The 1994 Peace Talks Discussion Further Nuances and Characterisations - Local Context Refining the Characterisations - Comparative Experiences An Appraisal of the Government's Initiatives Conclusions Chapter 5. Protection As Violation Introduction Part I - Formation and Organisation Physical Layout and Shelter Administration Mchaka-Mchaka Part II - Subsistence in the Camps Access to Land Reductions in Hunting Other Alternatives to Agriculture Group Formation Food Aid Problems with Distribution Demonstration Sites Calls To Allow People To Return Home Block Farming Part III - Access to Education Universal Primary Education (UPE) Drop-Outs Teacher Motivation Secondary Schooling Part IV - Access to Health Care Part V - Access to Protection When Was the LRA the UPDF? People's Responses Discussion and Conclusions Chapter 6. Protection As Debilitation Introduction Physical Debilitation Psychological Debilitation Suicide Heavy Drinking Cultural Debilitation Burial and Funeral Rites Breakdown of Restorative Justice Dance and Song External Interventions, which 'Diluted' Culture Changing Military-Civilian Relationships Discussion Signs of Resilience? Conclusions Chapter 7. Protection As Humiliation Introduction The Hegemonic Model of Masculinity What Women Are (Supposed To Be) Like What Youth Are (Supposed To Be) Like What Men Are (Supposed To Be) Like Masculine Roles The Gap between Model and Reality: Inability To Fulfil External and Internalised Expectations Acquisition of Knowledge Marriage Provision Physical Protection Further Threats to Sense of Masculinity 'Gender' Discourse and Practice Militarization The Impact of the Emergence of a Hegemonic Model Domestic Violence Increased Male Vulnerability to Violence State Benefits from the Hegemonic Model Discussion Conclusions Chapter 8. Social Torture and the Continuation of War Introduction Impacts and Methods Further Symptoms of Torture Actors Humanitarian Missions and Mandate Failures in Assistance and Protection Benefits and Functions Economics Psychological Political Justifications for Action and Inaction Justifying Action Justifying Inaction Discussion Low Intensity but Wide Impact Geographically Extensive and Time-Indifferent Multiple Actors Multiple Functions Social Torture Acquires Its Own Momentum Social Torture Is Justified in Public Discourses, which then Become Instruments of Social Torture Conclusions Chapter 9. Conclusions Social Torture Offers a Counter-Narrative to the Mainstream Discourse Greed-Grievance Social Torture Goes beyond the Convention Against Torture Social Torture Suggests the Need for More Comprehensive Interventions Appendices Bibliography Index

Factors affecting the career development of male nurses: a structural equation model

This paper is a report of a study conducted to test a theory of the relations of emotional labour and professional empowerment to nursing career development. Nurses are required to show high emotional labour, but this can bring about excessive pressure and emotional exhaustion. Male nurses usually perceive societal expectations in line with a more traditionally masculine role. Greater professional empowerment might assist them in attaining promotion and career success. The study had a cross-sectional correlational design. Data were collected in 2007 using a mailed questionnaire. We used a database published by the National Union of Nurses' Associations, Republic of China, to find medical care institutions at which male nurses were working. A convenience sample of male nurses (308) working at clinical nursing centres completed the mailed questionnaires. Emotional labour was not statistically significantly related to nursing career development, but was statistically significantly related to professional empowerment. Professional empowerment was statistically significantly related to nursing career development. Professional empowerment a mediating factor in the influence of emotional labour on nursing career development. We found that 75% of the variance in nursing career development could be explained by emotional labour and professional empowerment. The expected result, that emotional labour has a direct effect on nursing career development, was not supported by the analyses. Emotional labour has only an indirect effect on nursing career development. Professional empowerment was directly linked to nursing career development. Male nurses who perceived higher professional empowerment had better career development.

Is advertising a barrier to male movement toward gender change?

The purpose of this paper is to investigate male (and father) role portrayals in advertising from a masculine theoretical perspective. We note that the traditional masculine hegemony in the US is still seen almost exclusively in television commercials, even at a time when masculine roles in society are changing rapidly. We summarize the literature on masculinity, noting its changing nature, and discuss the role of advertising in maintaining the status quo. We then present results from three content analyses of commercials during programs targeted to adult males, females, and children. Results suggest that portrayals of gender roles in commercials have not become more gender neutral. While women are being shown in less stereotypically traditional roles, male portrayals still reflect a very traditional masculine perspective. We conclude that male confusion concerning what masculine roles are expected of them is being exacerbated by their portrayals in commercials.

Disorientations: Spanish Colonialism in Africa and the Performance of Identity (review)

Reviewed by: Disorientations: Spanish Colonialism in Africa and the Performance of Identity Beatriz Huarte Macione Martin-Márquez, Susan. Disorientations: Spanish Colonialism in Africa and the Performance of Identity. New Haven: Yale UP, 2008. Pp. 445. ISBN 978-0-300-12520-7. Martin-Márquez examines the development of the Spanish national identity in light of Spain's ties with its Islamic and African heritages and explores the ambivalence demonstrated by Spaniards in regard to such relationships. Her investigation incorporates a wide range of sources, including literature, paintings, media articles, and films. The text contains an introduction, six chapters, and an afterword, followed by notes, works cited, and an index. In "Introduction: Theorizing the Performance of Spanish Identity," the author underscores the pivotal importance that the recovery of the Andalusian tradition of Spain and Spain's colonization of the African continent in Morocco, the West Sahara, and Equatorial Guinea has [End Page 150] played in the conception of a Spanish national identity. Martin-Márquez supplies an overview of subsequent chapters by explaining her selection of texts, historical figures, films, writers, and artists. Chapter 1, "Power Plays: Reformulations of Spanish Identity and the Colonization of Africa," details the historical background of Martin-Márquez's study. The discussion of the development of Spain as a nation begins with the year 1492. The author continues with the period she designates as a "second-wave of nation building" during which Spaniards look into their history to find their identity, in particular into the culture of Al-Andalus, represented by the palace of the Alhambra in Granada. She explains the debate between scholars concerning the significance of the Muslim era in Spain. The author explores the related issues of race, racial purity, and identity, including the perspectives of Galicians, Basques, and Catalans on such topics. The following chapter, "The 'Savage' Art of Mimicry in Spain's Colonization of Sub-Saharan Africa," explores efforts by anthropologists, scientists, and scholars during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to define the racial makeup of Spain and the effects of colonization on such a composition. In this context, Martin-Márquez discusses the work of the Basque scientist Manuel Iradier titled, África: viajes y trabajos de la Asociación Eúskara La Exploradora. Iradier describes his exploration of Equatorial Guinea as he establishes associations between the geography, language, and people of Africa and the Basques. Years later, Sabino Arana, the founder of the Basque Nationalistic Party, hypothesizes also in El baskuence en toda el África on such Basque and African connections. However, Arana emphasizes the superiority and blood purity of the Basques above all other Spaniards. Martin-Márquez explains Arana's contradiction on blood purity as follows: "Yet within Basque nationalist thought, racial superiority is also often linked to racial primacy—and how better to prove that the Basques constitute one of the oldest and most venerable races on earth, than to claim that Africa itself is actually Basque?" (83). The next two chapters, titled "Staging the Odalisque's Conquest in the Spanish-Moroccan War" and "The Masculine Role in the Spanish-Moroccan Theater of War," center on representations of the conflict of the Spanish-Moroccan War through literature and artistic works of Spaniards such as Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, Benito Pérez Galdós, and the painter María Fortuny. The ambivalence of the imperialistic aspirations of Spain in Africa is reflected in Alarcon's Diario de un testigo de la guerra en África, Aita Tettauen by Benito Pérez Galdós and Batalla de Tetuán by María Fortuny. This section also illustrates the crisis in feminine and masculine gender roles exploring race, gender, and sexuality. The author analyzes several films produced under Franco's regime in "Unmasking Family Values in Franco's African Colonies." The films include Locura de amor, Romancero marroquí, La canción de Aixa, and La llamada de África. Through an in-depth study of such movies, Martin-Márquez evaluates Spanish racial identity, religion, sexuality, and sexual relations between African natives and colonists, including the purity of Spanish women in their relations with Africans. The author continues with an analysis of two films set in Spanish Guinea, underscoring...

Violence across borders: Familism, hegemonic masculinity, and self-sacrificing femininity in the lives of Mexican and Peruvian migrants

This article focuses on the experiences of intimate partner violence of intranational migrants in Lima, Peru and international undocumented Mexican immigrants in Austin, Texas. Employing a feminist and ecological approach, I explore both ways in which the experiences of women in each setting differ as well as commonalities in cultural beliefs in women's lives across borders. I suggest that an analysis of the role of familism, hegemonic masculinity, and self-sacrificing femininity as hegemonic and transnational values that inform Mexican and Peruvian women's lives contributes to a richer understanding of domestic violence among Latin American women.

Sex and Gender in Psychiatry: A View from History

Although physicians have attempted for centuries to uncover the biological differences between men and women with regard to mental illness, they continue to face the challenges of untangling biological factors from social and cultural ones. This article uses examples from history to illustrate three common problems in trying to establish biological differences: identifying factors as sex-based when they are really gender-based; overlooking changes in masculine and feminine roles over time; and placing too great an emphasis on hormones. By using the benefit of hindsight to identify problems from the past, we can think more critically about these issues in the present and the future.

Phallocracies and gynocratic transgressions: gender, state power and Kenyan public life

This article explores the role of hegemonic masculinities in shaping patterns of authority in Kenya, a context in which state power has historically been framed as a male affair, with the foregrounding of the phallus as a symbol for power and leadership. It argues that, beyond ethnicity and class, gender—and specifi cally masculinities—provides a compelling lens through which to understand the Kenyan post-election crisis and its attendant elements: the deadlock between Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga; the mobilisation of militaristic masculinities and the violence infl icted on men and women’s bodies during the conflict.

Psychosocial correlates of medical mistrust among African American men.

The current study proposed and tested a conceptual model of medical mistrust in a sample of African American men (N=216) recruited primarily from barbershops in the Midwest and Southeast regions of the United States. Potential psychosocial correlates were grouped into background factors, masculine role identity/socialization factors, recent healthcare experiences, recent socioenvironmental experiences (e.g., discrimination), and healthcare system outcome expectations (e.g., perceived racism in healthcare). Direct and mediated relationships were assessed. Results from the hierarchical regression analyses suggest that perceived racism in healthcare was the most powerful correlate of medical mistrust even after controlling for other factors. Direct effects were found for age, masculine role identity, recent patient-physician interaction quality, and discrimination experiences. Also, perceived racism in healthcare mediated the relationship between discrimination experiences and medical mistrust. These findings suggest that African American men's mistrust of healthcare organizations is related to personal characteristics, previous negative social/healthcare experiences, and expectations of disparate treatment on the basis of race. These findings also imply that aspects of masculine role identity shape the tone of patient-physician interactions in ways that impede trust building processes.

Thai Gender Ideology: A View from Representations of Social Actors in Crime News Headlines

This study examines the linguistic structure used for uncovering gender ideologies through crime news headlines. It’s based on the idea that languages represent reality and different linguistic choices indicate different points of view of reality. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Fairclough 1990,VanDijk 1995, Simpson 1993) is used in this study. The main objectives of the study are 1) to study the differences of representation between male and female social actors (Van Leeuwan 2008) in crime news headlines and 2) to study power relations, gender identities and the reproduction of patriarchal society through crime news headlines. Samples of 1,815 crime news headlines are analyzed in this study. The result shows that Thai crime news constructs gender identities based on gender ideology. Thai crime news headlines convey a variety of linguistic meanings which allow for varying forms of representation of social actors, including exclusion and inclusion of social actors. The exclusion of male social actors in headlines may be ideologically motivated by obscuring the responsibility of male actors for negative actions, whereas the exclusion of female social actors does not have the same effect because their referents can be inferred from the headline context. In addition, the inclusion of social actors varies according to the social actor’s sex. Male actors are usually referred to using a functionalization form or an appraisement form, whereas female actors are usually referred to using an identification form. These representations reflect the role of masculinity and femininity among men and women in the society.

Suicide Among Young Middle Eastern Muslim Females

Recent epidemiological studies highlight that within Muslim-dominated Middle Eastern countries suicide rates are high or are increasing among young females. This paper discusses the most important reasons behind this trend. The literature review started using the PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) search engine, applying four keywords: suicide, young females, Middle East, and Muslim. The search strategy was complemented by hand-searching selected journals or by looking at the reference list of the retrieved papers. All retrieved papers confirm a higher rate of suicide or attempted suicide among young Muslim females in the Middle East. Furthermore, the method chosen for suicide, psychiatric disorders, marriage, and masculine role are among the most important interrelated reasons that increase the likelihood of a young female being a victim of suicide. Higher suicide rates among young Middle Eastern Muslim females must be considered an important issue, and their root causes should be dealt with properly and without delay.

Réseau: Communication, intégration, intersections by Jean-Marie Schultz, Marie-Paule Tranvouez

forms is in evidence; the reader has no way to determine in which Canadian maritime provinces or Louisiana parishes the variants are found. Although this publication sheds light on the maintenance of Acadian dialectal features in Cajun French and thus provides valuable information about this dialect, the study is limited to language-internal considerations. Readers who hope to find consideration of actual language use or the role of Cajun French in contemporary Cajun communities may be disappointed that such issues are not addressed. University of Louisiana, Lafayette Tamara Lindner Methods and Materials edited by Sarah Jourdain SCHULTZ, JEAN-MARIE, and MARIE-PAULE TRANVOUEZ. Réseau: Communication, intégration , intersections. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2010. ISBN 978-0-13241392 -3. Pp. 462. $83.75. Réseau’s goals, as stated in the preface to the Instructor’s Annotated Edition, are to address the following issues: 1–fostering critical thinking skills through language learning; 2–vertical articulation of French programs from first through third year; 3–the use of the L1 versus the L2; and 4–thematic issues of cultural diversity , globalization, and identity. It succeeds admirably on all counts. The most striking element of Réseau is the thematic organization of its chapters. Themes are broad, interesting, current, and inspire cross-cultural comparisons: family relations; masculine/feminine roles, rights, and responsibilities; urban life; French, Acadian, and Québecois identity; France as a social kaleidoscope; cultural icons of France; France as a multicultural country; the Francophone world; aesthetic intersections; cinema in France; France as seen from the outside; and France and Europe. As the book progresses the scope of the chapters’ themes expands, from the family unit to France’s place in today’s Europe. These themes are clearly designed to meet the first goal outlined by the authors: to foster critical thinking through language learning. Any and all themes permit and encourage comparisons with the students’ own culture. For example, while covering the chapter on France as seen from the outside, comparing French and American stereotypes and global reputations is a natural progression. Chapters are arranged to present and practice vocabulary first, to equip students to engage in the grammar, culture, reading, and writing activities that follow. Grammar points are interlaced with a culture section, a reading text, and writing activities. For example, in Chapter 2 (Masculine and feminine roles, rights, and responsibilities), addresses Frenchwomen in the workplace as the cultural topic. The literary text is none other than an excerpt from Simone de Beauvoir’s Le Deuxième Sexe, which continues the theme of the chapter while introducing students to a major writer and philosopher of the twentieth century, thereby addressing the goal of vertical articulation to third year reading and content courses. Directions and grammar explanations are in French, discouraging use of the L1 for those purposes, incorporating the authors’ third goal, to increase L2 use by 216 FRENCH REVIEW 84.1 students. Grammar examples are relevant and contextualized to the themes of the chapter. Activities build from mechanical to meaningful to communicative, and are easily adapted to either written or oral work. The final goal, addressing thematic issues of cultural diversity, globalization, and identity, are also met by the chapters’ themes. These themes will make the text relevant for many years, and encourage instructors to add current events to their syllabi or class periods. These themes are the book’s leading strength, and it is an important strength for any language course in our increasingly global society. Purdue University Jessica Sturm GUÉDÉ, ALAIN. Le Chevalier de Saint-George. Achères: Dagan Jeunesse; and Toulouse: MAT, 2008. ISBN 978-2-9542829-0-7. Pp. 48. $24.00. Le Chevalier de Saint-George, written by Alain Guédé and exquisitely illustrated by Serge Hochain, recounts the life and times of the celebrated violin virtuoso and composer who was a “métis,” born to a white father, a noble, the Comte Guillaume-Pierre Tavernier de Boulogne, and to a slave mother, Nanon, in the French Antilles. With first-person narration, addressing the reader in the “tu” form, this delightful book traces Saint-George’s life as a youth in the French Antilles, wedged between slaves and the white...

Crystal methamphetamine use among American Indian and White youth in Appalachia: Social context, masculinity, and desistance

Rural areas and American Indian reservations are hotspots for the use of crystal methamphetamine (‘meth’) in the United States, yet there is little ethnographic data describing meth use in these areas. This study draws upon 3 years of ethnographic work conducted with American Indian and White youth in Appalachia during the height of the meth epidemic. First, I show how crystal meth filled a functional niche in the lives of many young men, alleviating boredom and anomie linked to recent socioeconomic changes and changing labor opportunities, and intersecting with local understandings of masculinity and forms of military identity. Here, ethnographic and interview data converge to illustrate how social role expectations, recent socioeconomic change, and meth's pharmacological properties converge to create vulnerability to meth use in Appalachia. Next, I draw upon two American Indian narratives of desistance. These youth described recently severed social relationships and acute feelings of social isolation during the initiation of meth use. Both also described dramatic close calls with death that facilitated their eventual desistance from use, involving repaired social relationships and the establishment of new lives and hope. Comparisons with meth use in other populations and regions, including men who have sex with men in urban environments, suggest that similar motivations and contextual factors may influence meth use across diverse cultural and regional contexts. Recent interventions targeting the pathogenic aspects of masculine role socialization and ethnographic evidence on the role of social networks in desistance suggest both avenues and caveats for intervention.

Young Men as Peer Counsellors: What's Under the Overcoat?

The aim of the study was to investigate masculine role identifications amongst male volunteer peer counsellors. Based on focus group interviews with young men (n=12) aged 16 to 18, the juxtapositioning of masculinity and the role of counsellor was explored. The data were analysed by means of critical thematic analysis. The boys displayed considerable anxiety concerning how they might be perceived as counsellors and engaged in two main interlinked discursive strategies in order to retain an alignment with the masculine. Firstly, the young men worked hard to make associations between dominant masculine identifications and occupying the role of peer counseller and emphasized their masculine ‘credit’. Secondly, they attempted to masculinize the actual activity of counselling, in part by divorcing it from its associations with the feminine.

Repudiating the Shakespearean Script: Wilfrid Scawen Blunt's The Bride of the Nile as Re-visioning of Antony and Cleopatra

Abstract Notes 1 Reference to Antony and Cleopatra is from The Norton Shakespeare, ed. Stephen Greenblatt et al. (New York: Norton, 1997). 2 Wilfrid Scawen Blunt, The Bride of the Nile. A Political Extravaganza in Three Acts of Rhymed Verse (n.p.: n. pub., 1907), Act 3, p. 39. All reference is hereafter to that edition. 3 See The Exotic in Western Music, ed. Jonathan Bellman (Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1998). There the point is made, at p. 55: “It is almost a truism of current considerations of Orientalism that ‘the Orient’, ‘the Other’, and ‘the feminine’ are inextricably tied up with each other, and that the Orient itself plays the feminine role of the exploring of the to-be-penetrated object to the Occident's masculine role of the exploring and subduing subject”. 4 Edward W. Said, Orientalism (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1978), especially at pp. 1–5, 67, 104, 109, 334. See also: Claudia Moscovici, Double Dialectics: Between Universalism and Relativism in Enlightenment and Postmodern Thought (Oxford: Rowman and Littlefield, 2002), p. 134; Abdirahman A. Hussein, Edward Said: Criticism and Society (London: Verso, 2002), esp. pp. 224–248. 5 On Shakespeare's evocation, in his non-dramatic verse, of the multiplicity of Venus, see A. D. Cousins, Shakespeare's Sonnets and Narrative Poems (Harlow: Longman, 2000), pp. 19–28. On Venus Victrix, see in particular Edgar Wind, Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance, 2nd rev. edn. (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1967), pp. 81–96. There is of course widespread discussion of allusions to Venus in Antony and Cleopatra but no close account of the mythography of Venus in that play. For an introductory account of Venus in Shakespeare's play, see Marjorie Garber, Shakespeare After All (New York: Pantheon Books, 2004), pp. 733–737. 6 For a stimulating history of Cleopatra as both historical figure and literary archetype, see Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Cleopatra: Histories, Dreams and Distortions (London: Bloomsbury, 1990). See also, Camille Paglia, Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990), esp. pp. 194–229. 7 Isis was sometimes identified with Venus, in the classical world – but she was also identified with many other goddesses. 8 When Alexis tries to become physically intimate with Belkis, at the beginning of Act 2, she chides him – pointing out that he, as a white coloniser, cannot really find her ethnic differences from him attractive. She says, “[M]y hand is brown” (p. 21), and then, as Alexis persists in his attentions declares: “You are really too absurd. I am a native girl,/ With a natural fuzz-head. I cannot keep from curl, / And you a white sub-prefect. Faugh. Ridiculous!” (p. 22). 9 It would be quite wrong to see Blunt's characterisation of Jael as making her an honorary British girl. It is rather that Blunt shows the Egyptian girl as every bit a modest, emotionally intense, vulnerable young young woman as could be any of her British counterparts.

‘There Is Graite Odds between A Mans being At Home And A Broad’: Deborah Read Franklin and the Eighteenth-Century Home

From 1764 to her death in 1774, Deborah Franklin lived in ‘their’ new house without husband Benjamin. The correspondence between them reveals several ambiguously gendered constructions of that house – ideologically, materially, and architecturally. Deborah was ‘homeless’ legally and conceptually. Her household variously consisted of her mother, her adopted son, her daughter, relatives, guests, boarders and servants – she permanently assumed the role of head of the household. His household consisted of his landlady, Widow Margaret Stevenson, and her daughter Polly – he could not assume his role as head of household. Moreover, as Deborah wrote to her husband about turning the house into a fortress during a raid on it during Stamp Act crisis, he wrote to her about the household goods; as she talked about politics, he discussed familial matters. Their permeable, even ambiguous, masculine and feminine roles reconstructed the meaning – and thereby symbolised the gendered complexity – of the early American white middling and elite eighteenth-century home.