In the time of masculinist political revival (original) (raw)

Hidden in Plain Sight: On the Omnipresence of Hegemonic Masculinities

Masculinities: A Journal of Identity and Culture, 2019

he concept of hegemonic masculinity, formulated more than three decades ago, has now established a long history of considerable influence on the social science understanding of gender, but in particular, masculinity. The concept emerged in the mid-1980s and was coined by Raewyn Connell, who conceptualized hegemonic masculinity as a pattern of practice that reproduced unequal relations between men and women, masculinity and femininity, and among masculinities. In this talk, I consider some of my recent work on the concept of hegemonic masculinity, with particular attention to the omnipresence of hegemonic masculinities throughout society and how they are hidden in plain sight. Following this, and in line with "authoritarianism" and "troubling times" as the themes of the symposium, I briefly discuss what I label Trump's "presidential dominating masculinity" and how it occasionally is associated with hegemonic masculinity. I then close with a few examples of counter-hegemonic practices, concentrating on non-hegemonic masculinities, in particular, what I label positive masculinities.

What Threatens, Defines: Tracing the Symbolic Boundaries of Contemporary Masculinity

Sex Roles, 2018

A robust literature ties emasculation to a range of compensatory behaviors. The present study shifts focus away from the effects of masculinity threat toward an understanding of young adult men's experiences of emasculation in their own words. Drawing on 42 in-depth interviews with undergraduate men attending a selective U.S. university, we examine the behaviors, situations, and narratives-both experienced and hypothetical-that privileged young men perceive as threatening. We use these data not only to contribute to the empirical literature on masculinity threat, but also as a novel approach for theorizing about the meaning and structure of masculinity more broadly. This is an important task given recent social and economic changes that may have altered contemporary definitions of masculinity. Emasculation accounts provide unique analytical leverage for revealing men's often unspoken understandings of acceptable masculine behavior. We find that, while many interviewees superficially espoused egalitarian and anti-homophobic beliefs, their emasculation narratives implicitly call for the subordination of women and other men. These performances consequently obscure and maintain traditional, hegemonic power relations. We discuss the implications of our finding for scholars, practitioners, and individual men who desire a more equitable gender structure.