Inclusive Masculinity in a Physical Education Setting
About: This article is published in Thymos: Journal of Boyhood Studies.The article was published on 2012-09-01. It has received 21 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Hegemonic masculinity.
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TL;DR: In this paper, a theoretical evaluation of work using the framework of inclusive masculinity and what it claims to offer over hegemonic masculinity is presented, and it is suggested that there are several major theoretical concerns, which call into question the validity of research utilizing the framework.
Abstract: Anderson’s concept of “inclusive masculinity” has generated significant academic and media interest recently. It claims to have replaced hegemonic masculinity as a theoretical framework for exploring gender relations in societies that show “decreased” levels of cultural homophobia and “homohysteria”; this clearly has important implications for critical studies on men and masculinities (CSMMs). This article is divided into two parts and begins with a theoretical evaluation of work using the framework of inclusive masculinity and what it claims to offer over hegemonic masculinity. The second half is an analysis of inclusive masculinity’s conceptual division of homophobia and homohysteria. Through this analysis, it is suggested that there are several major theoretical concerns, which call into question the validity of research utilizing the framework of inclusive masculinity.
93 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined how adolescent males construct and experience their masculine identities within the context of physical education (PE) and found that the adolescent pupils internalised and performed an orthodox form of masculinity that centred on strength, pain tolerance and the policing of others.
Abstract: This research examines how adolescent males (ages 16–17 years) construct and experience their masculine identities within the context of physical education (PE). A class of 23 boys and 3 girls from a state secondary school in Scotland were observed over a period of 3 months. During the third month, five of the observed pupils volunteered to take part in a conversation with the lead researcher which was guided by their participation in a repertory grid task. The same five participants also took part in a one-to-one semi-structured interview. The analysis of the evidence revealed that the adolescent pupils internalised and performed an orthodox form of masculinity that centred on strength, pain tolerance and the policing of others. More inclusive masculinities appeared to be emerging, however, the hypermasculine and public nature of the PE environment made it very difficult for the pupils to freely adopt or perform these alternative, more inclusive forms of masculinity. Additionally, pupils who did ...
34 citations
Cites background from "Inclusive Masculinity in a Physical..."
...This suggests an acceptance of inclusive masculinity, and could explain the physical tactility observed between boys during some PE lessons (Anderson, 2009, 2012; McCormack & Anderson, 2010)....
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...There is some research evidence to suggest the accepted presence of inclusive masculinity in the PE context (Anderson, 2012), where boys openly perform feminised behaviours....
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...Similar to Anderson (2012), relevant observations were recorded from memory in a private space as soon as possible after the event....
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...By contrast, a more recent body of literature suggests that multiple masculinities are able to coexist in a horizontal (not stratified) alignment (Adams, 2011; Anderson, 2012; McCormack, 2014)....
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...In a study that examined the construction of masculine identities of sixth form PE pupils, Anderson (2012) found compelling evidence to suggest a decrease in homohysteria and a climate of openness, softness and kindness....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the implications of post-feminism on men in the workplace, in particular how men variously perform postfeminist masculinities and the implications for addressing gendered inequalities within the workplace.
Abstract: Mobilizing the concept of postfeminism as a sensibility, this article invites organization and gender scholars to examine how postfeminist masculinities are discursively constituted and performed by men within contemporary work contexts. Acknowledging that women are interpellated within postfeminist discourses as empowered and autonomous subjects whose lives are shaped by individual choice, this article explores the implications for men, in particular how men variously perform postfeminist masculinities and the implications for addressing gendered inequalities within the workplace. Developing a research agenda, this article outlines three research trajectories: 1) problematizing a gender binary in which women are depicted as empowered at work and men in a state of crisis; 2) interrogating signs of ‘new’ postfeminist masculinities coded as inclusive in the workplace and; 3) examining how different types of men perform postfeminist masculinities at work. This article concludes by providing examples of research questions to generate future organizational scholarship in these areas.
34 citations
TL;DR: This article explored the experiences of twelve Australian contact sport athletes and found that these men value a softer representation of masculinity based upon pro-gay sentiments and being emotionally open, while often being critical of aspects of orthodox masculinities which male team sport previously promoted.
Abstract: Sport’s utility in the development of a conservative orthodox ideal of masculinity based upon homophobia, aggression and emotional restrictiveness is well evidenced in critical masculinities scholarship. However, contemporary research is reflecting a more nuanced understanding of male behaviour in many Western contexts, with men performing softer and more inclusive versions of masculinities. Through exploring the experiences of twelve Australian contact sport athletes, this research establishes findings to support the growing body of inclusive masculinities research. Results show that these men value a softer representation of masculinity based upon pro-gay sentiments and being emotionally open, while often being critical of aspects of orthodox masculinities which male team sport previously promoted.
33 citations
Cites background or result from "Inclusive Masculinity in a Physical..."
...Subsequently, open discussions of same-sex sex were found between teammates; fostering an environment of support and inclusivity (Adams and Anderson, 2012)....
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...…field and among spectators (Cashmore and Cleland, 2011, 2012; Cleland, 2014; Magrath et al., 2013), and thus the positive environments found in both of the above studies (Adams and Anderson, 2012; Anderson, 2011a; Anderson and Adams, 2011) are not as a result of uniquely liberal environments....
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...Rather, contemporary adolescents embrace gay peers (Anderson, 2011b, 2012, 2013; McCormack and Anderson, 2010), are emotionally open (Anderson, 2014) and present in styles once considered effeminate (Adams, 2011)....
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...It was the male only, unreflexive and near-total institutional aspects of sport that reproduced and maintained what could be considered a socially damaging ideal of male behaviour (Anderson, 2012)....
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...Yet, contemporary accounts of sportsmen in both the United Kingdom and the United States show a somewhat different understanding of masculinity in the athletic terrain today (Anderson, 2012, 2014)....
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TL;DR: This paper found that PE teachers have a cohort variance in their masculine values, with those socialised in sport through the 1980s showing the most orthodox and oppressive values, while participants recognized many elements of softer masculinities, described in inclusive masculinity literature, as being performed by contemporary teenagers.
Abstract: Physical education (PE) and sport have traditionally been identified by scholars as a key mechanism for the production and reproduction of a culturally esteemed ideal of masculinity, premised upon being stoic, strong, competitive, sexist and homophobic. Yet, more recent research reflects a change in valued masculinity as a response to declining cultural homohysteria. As such, this preliminary study looks to establish how PE teachers understand and construct masculinities within the educational environment. Through in-depth interviews, we find participants recognised many elements of softer masculinities, described in inclusive masculinities literature, as being performed by contemporary teenagers. This includes being emotionally open, embracing a more effeminate taste in dress and being increasingly physically tactile. However, we also found that the PE teachers have a cohort variance in their masculine values, with those socialised in sport through the 1980s showing the most orthodox and oppressi...
30 citations
Cites background from "Inclusive Masculinity in a Physical..."
...Structurally, PE’s often gender-segregated curriculum, primarily delivered through team sports, is based upon the principles of domination (Anderson, 2012)....
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References
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TL;DR: Using General Social Survey data from 1973 to 1998, this article examined changing American attitudes toward homosexuality and found that Americans became increasingly negative regarding the morality of homosexuality through 1990, but since then their attitudes have become increasingly liberal.
Abstract: Using General Social Survey data from 1973 to 1998, changing American attitudes toward homosexuality are examined. Two hypotheses are tested: (1) Can changes in attitudes be accounted for by the changing demographics of the population? (2) Are changing attitudes toward homosexuality embedded within larger cultural ideological shifts? The data indicate that Americans distinguish between the morality of homosexuality and the civil liberties of homosexuals. Americans became increasingly negative regarding the morality of homosexuality through 1990, but since then their attitudes have become increasingly liberal. The same 25-year period witnessed a steady decline in Americans' willingness to restrict the civil liberties of homosexuals. Changes in American demographics-particularly increasing educational levels-and changing cultural ideological beliefs can account for only about one-half of the change over time in attitudes toward homosexuality. Several theories are put forth to explain these patterns of change and the distinction made between morality and civil liberties
670 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the most common techniques identified are analytic induction, the constant comparative method, typological analysis, enumerative systems, and standardized observational protocols, each of which is described and analyzed along multiple dimensions of design considerations.
Abstract: Choices of strategies for analyzing records or transcripts of human behavior in everyday, naturalistic settings are affected by a variety of external and internal design constraints. Among the most common techniques identified are analytic induction, the constant comparative method, typological analysis, enumerative systems, and standardized observational protocols. Each of these is described and analyzed along multiple dimensions of design considerations. SCHOOL ETHNOGRAPHY; OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH; QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS; RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.
569 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the first look into the experiences of openly gay male team sport athletes on ostensibly all-heterosexual teams was provided, and they were free from physical harassment, but sport resisted their acceptance and attempted to remain a site of orthodox masculine production by creating a culture of silence surrounding gay athleticism, by segmenting gay men's identities, and by persistently using homophobic discourse to discredit homosexuality in general.
Abstract: This research provides the first look into the experiences of openly gay male team sport athletes on ostensibly all-heterosexual teams. Although openly gay athletes were free from physical harassment, in the absence of a formal ban against gay athletes, sport resisted their acceptance and attempted to remain a site of orthodox masculine production by creating a culture of silence surrounding gay athleticism, by segmenting gay men's identities, and by persistently using homophobic discourse to discredit homosexuality in general. Sports attempt to tolerate gay male athletes when they contribute to the overarching ethos of sport—winning—but try to taint the creation of a gay identity within sport that would see homosexuality and athleticism as compatible. Still, by proving themselves successful in sport, and meeting most other mandates of hegemonic masculinity except for their sexual identity, gay male athletes show that hegemony is not seamless and that there is a possibility of softening hegemonic masculin...
365 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the construction of masculinity among college-age heterosexual male cheerleaders and found that men who subscribe to this inclusive form of masculinity do not respond to their transgression into feminized terrain in the same manner as has been shown in other investigations of men in feminized arenas because they are shown to accept feminine behavior and homosexuality among men.
Abstract: Using in-depth interviews and participant observation from sixty-eight male cheerleaders and four selected cheerleading teams, this research examines the construction of masculinity among college-age heterosexual male cheerleaders. Whereas previous studies of men in feminized terrain have shown that hegemonic processes of dominance and subordination influence most men to bolster their masculinity through an approximation of orthodox masculine requisites, this research finds that heterosexual men in collegiate cheerleading today exhibit two forms of normative masculinity. One form retains most tenets of orthodox masculine construction, whereas the other is shown to be more inclusive. Men who subscribe to this inclusive form of masculinity do not respond to their transgression into feminized terrain in the same manner as has been shown in other investigations of men in feminized arenas because they are shown to accept feminine behavior and homosexuality among men. The emergence of this more inclusive form o...
273 citations
TL;DR: The prevalence of homophobic verbal abuse in high schools, its particularly aggressive nature, and the relative disregard with which it is used are confirmed.
222 citations