GWSS 262 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Hegemonic Masculinity, Homophobia, Masculinity
GWSS 262 – LECTURE 6
Inclusive masculity theory
Anderson's Purpose:
Update previous research
Advance his theory of inclusive masculinity
oAs an alternative to the theory of hegemonic masculinity
Hegemonic Masculinity:
According to Raewyn Connel, there is a "gender order". In this order:
oCertain men are privileged over other men in a hierarchy of masculinity AND all men
maintain power over all women
oThe most powerful men in the hierarchy most closely match one archetype of
masculinity
oGay men, according to Connel and Anderson, are at the bottom of the masculine
hierarchy
oHomophobia is used as a tool to separate the different levels of the hierarchy
Limits of Connell's Theory:
It fails to account for what happens when homophobia in a culture or even just a local
community (or sports team) decreases
It doesn't allow for more than one type of masculinity to sit at the top of the hierarchy
Inclusive Masculinity Theory:
Developed by Anderson as a way to situate hegemonic masculinity theory in its historical
context
Anderson believes Connell's theory only applies to periods of high homohysteria
Anderson's theory suggest that when homohysteria declines, many kinds of masculinity can be
held in the same regard
oWhen men do not fear being labeled as homosexual, multiple forms of masculinity can
be considered equally acceptable
The Projects:
The first group of interviews were conducted between 2000-2002
The second group of interviews were conducted between 2008-2010
Both projects involved the same number of participants (26) but they weren't the same people
In both cases, Anderson only included athletes who were out as gay on their high school or
college teams. In both cases, there were very few men of color.
Anderson found it much easier to gather participants for the second study
Coming Out:
2000-2002 participants…
oWere not attacked or harassed for coming out, but feared they would be
oSaw their teams/sports as homophobic spaces
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Advance his theory of inclusive masculinity: as an alternative to the theory of hegemonic masculinity. According to raewyn connel, there is a "gender order". Certain men are privileged over other men in a hierarchy of masculinity and all men maintain power over all women o. It fails to account for what happens when homophobia in a culture or even just a local community (or sports team) decreases. It doesn"t allow for more than one type of masculinity to sit at the top of the hierarchy. Developed by anderson as a way to situate hegemonic masculinity theory in its historical context. Anderson believes connell"s theory only applies to periods of high homohysteria. Anderson"s theory suggest that when homohysteria declines, many kinds of masculinity can be held in the same regard: when men do not fear being labeled as homosexual, multiple forms of masculinity can be considered equally acceptable. The first group of interviews were conducted between 2000-2002.