GSI lecture 3 week 4 – men and masculinities.
Men’s experience as men has been neglected, usually written in relation to women,
E.G. patriarchy, side lines male experiences.
Benefits of patriarchy for men in politics and other institutions, historically men have
been looked at negatively, but not the benefits of patriarchy for men.
The term gender in social sciences and society as a whole tends to be automatically
associated with women.
Now a massive field of study.
Emerged as a significant field – many books on the topic, wider topic.
Intertwined growth of academic study of gender and gender changes in societies.
Crisis of masculinity’ associated with socio-economic change (gender relations,
economic sphere)
Critiques of gender-binarism – differences within men and women, similarities
between them (reflected e.g in marketing) should look at differences within men and
differences within women.
Intersectionality – gender experience crosscut by e.g., class, ethnicity, age.
Artist Garyson Perry on masculinity.
Half the victims of masculinity are men.
Men have the same emotions as women but are not in touch with them like women
are.
o Men are taught not to cry etc, not to be a ‘sissy’.
Men are thought of as normal by which everything else is judged as abnormal.
Masculinity affects men just as it does women, but that is not shown.
Gillett: ‘The best a man can be’ advertising campaign.
men need to teach other men how to behave – things can and are changing.
See different kinds of masculinity, toxic, problematic, supportive, etc.
Raewyn Connell
Transgender women.
Wrote book, identified as a man at the time: ‘Masculinities’
Reflects on the question, what is masculinity?
o Struggles to come up with a definition as it always changes, means different
things in different parts of the world.
o Came up with this – “Simultaneously a place in gender relations, the
practices through which men and women engage that place in gender, and
the effects of these practices in body experience, personality and culture.”
(1995:71)
Reference concept: Hegemonic masculinity.
Hegemony was the starting concept, now been applied to hegemonic masculinity.
Who were the patriarchs? How do they operate?
1995 defines hegemonic masculinity:
Men’s experience as men has been neglected, usually written in relation to women,
E.G. patriarchy, side lines male experiences.
Benefits of patriarchy for men in politics and other institutions, historically men have
been looked at negatively, but not the benefits of patriarchy for men.
The term gender in social sciences and society as a whole tends to be automatically
associated with women.
Now a massive field of study.
Emerged as a significant field – many books on the topic, wider topic.
Intertwined growth of academic study of gender and gender changes in societies.
Crisis of masculinity’ associated with socio-economic change (gender relations,
economic sphere)
Critiques of gender-binarism – differences within men and women, similarities
between them (reflected e.g in marketing) should look at differences within men and
differences within women.
Intersectionality – gender experience crosscut by e.g., class, ethnicity, age.
Artist Garyson Perry on masculinity.
Half the victims of masculinity are men.
Men have the same emotions as women but are not in touch with them like women
are.
o Men are taught not to cry etc, not to be a ‘sissy’.
Men are thought of as normal by which everything else is judged as abnormal.
Masculinity affects men just as it does women, but that is not shown.
Gillett: ‘The best a man can be’ advertising campaign.
men need to teach other men how to behave – things can and are changing.
See different kinds of masculinity, toxic, problematic, supportive, etc.
Raewyn Connell
Transgender women.
Wrote book, identified as a man at the time: ‘Masculinities’
Reflects on the question, what is masculinity?
o Struggles to come up with a definition as it always changes, means different
things in different parts of the world.
o Came up with this – “Simultaneously a place in gender relations, the
practices through which men and women engage that place in gender, and
the effects of these practices in body experience, personality and culture.”
(1995:71)
Reference concept: Hegemonic masculinity.
Hegemony was the starting concept, now been applied to hegemonic masculinity.
Who were the patriarchs? How do they operate?
1995 defines hegemonic masculinity:
