What is Masculinity and Does it Have a Future?
What is Masculinity and does it have a future?In recent years there has been much discourse on male identity, or masculinity, and challenges to established cultural understandings of the masculine which have encouraged the development of new male identities. Men are starting to examine their own lives and relationships, shown through the increasing number of groups, seminars and conferences focusing on themes such as men's health, the sexual abuse of men, and psychotherapy and counselling services targeted at men. As many men and women seem to be confused about what it means to be a man, this has been seen as an opportunity for "...recasting the masculine script." (Peterson, 1998:19). To ask "what is masculinity?" is to invite opinions from across the board of sociological, historical, religious and biological study, and there is no definitive answer. There will never be a consensual definition of masculinity, although there do exist general stereotypes of masculinity which have, unfortunately, become so deep-rooted in our culture that they are seen as somehow natural. Masculinity is not an object; it is not a constant. It is constantly evolving and reinventing itself, and is subject to change based on culture, interaction
It is a coming of age ritual for gay people, regardless of their chronological age. "Coming out marks an entry into a new level of sexual awareness, maturity and responsibility. Despite moving towards gender equality, we still very much live in a patriarchal society, with a gender order perpetuated through various social, judicial and cultural institutions. Men's position of authority over women has changed, and this is reflected through the changing nature of institutions such as the family and the state. Over the past few decades, there have been various challenges to these two very important factors that facilitate patriarchy, like the rise of feminism and groups such as Gay Pride. For example, if women are said to be emotional, then men are considered not to be. The aim of queer theory is to make us realize that it is not the way people act that is queer, rather the way in which we categorize and label those actions is queer. Also, a boy's masculine behaviour can be directly learned from his father; if a father is a tyrant, his son will learn to be a tyrant himself (Farmer, 1991:26). Both coming out and initiation within Paganisms and, in particular, Shamanisms, involve an experience which fundamentally changes the person; a strong sense of division from the old life and identity is felt, and the person emerges empowered, with a new, stronger character. Hegemonic masculinity is not what even the most powerful men in society embody, but it is what sustains their power. Foucault's "reverse discourse" refers to the way in which certain groups of people will take hegemonic discourse regarding their sexuality and turn it on its head. It is with regret that much intriguing work had to be left out or cut down due the constraints of the word limit.
Common topics in this essay:
Nancy Chodorow,
Masculinity Crisis,
Engagement Pagan,
,
Ancient Greece,
Jesus Christ,
Pride Changes,
Elizabeth Philip's,
Emphasized Femininity,
Recreating Pease,
hegemonic masculinity,
future masculinity,
queer theory,
notions masculinity,
masculinity femininity,
traditional gender,
gender roles,
traditional notions masculinity,
sexual abuse,
traditional notions,
legislation regarding,
clothes cooking meals,
male sex hormones,
model hegemonic masculinity,
washing clothes cooking,
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Acceptance Essays
