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Hegemonic masculinity article
Hegemonic masculinity as a social construct
Criticisms of hegemonic masculinity rethinking the concept
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his Essay will analyse, introduce, and discuss the terms Hegemonic Masculinity and Emphasized femininity, if it still applies in modern times and the use of these concepts to comprehend the role of the man and female in Eastern Asia, in relation to post-war Japan. In order to present a clear and linear argument I will divide this essay into three parts: In the first part I will define the term hegemonic masculinity, the common traits and the influence that it has in society; the essay will continue then in explaining and outlining the term emphasized femininity. The second part will analyse the impact of the notions of hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity in relation to post war Japan has. The last part will briefly identify some …show more content…
As Bradley states, gender is an artificial social construct, which is asymmetrical and hierarchal, “it is a set of social arrangements determining how women and men live,” behave, or work, “and a way of thinking which divides people into two categories (or sometimes more) social categories”; it determines the relations between man and woman, it is not fixed but subject to fluctuation in time (history) or cultures (Bradley, 2013). The next essential key term is Hegemony, its etymology refers to the Gramscian coined term that explains: “the dominance of one group, nation, or culture over another, hegemony refers to relationships between classes. For Gramsci, hegemonic control is not maintained merely by force or the threat of force, but by consent as well. That is, a successful hegemony not only expresses the interest of a dominant, but also can get a subordinate class to see these interests as natural or a matter of common sense. For Gramsci, this attitude of consent to the social order permeates all aspects of social existence: institutions, relationships, ideas, morals, etc.” (Childers & Hentzi, …show more content…
The salaryman was a product’ of modern Japanese capitalist system, where power, authority and possession were the signify of a ‘real man’, a sort of corporate soldier who had a primary influence in Japanese society. The salaryman came to substitute the soldier’s hegemonic influence, in fact he exhibits militaristic connotations, mainly because the salaryman has an essential role in the state’s objective of economic growth. Hence the salaryman is overloaded with work, he almost put corporate interests before family, as he barely engages with his family, in fact the salaryman is reluctant to go home as he feels a bit estranged at home. As Dasgupta continues to explain, the salaryman was not only the ideal man but the ‘ideal citizen’, he has to deal with every-day problems such as jam-packed transports, work-related illness, competition, frequent job transfers and long hours shifts, on the other hand there are benefits such as long weekends (spent playing golf), business trips and economic stability (Dasgupta, 2013). The sarariiman is a heterosexual male, monotonous, office worker and family provider, with one or two children (Roberson & Suzuki, 2003) . Commonly the salaryman possesses these characteristics: middle class graduate, loyal, diligent, fully dedicated to the paternalist corporation (referring to the permanent relation between the corporate and the worker), well-groomed
Over time, the United States has experienced dramatic social and cultural changes. As the culture of the United States has transformed, so have the members of the American society. Film, as with all other forms of cultural expression, oftentimes reflects and provides commentary on the society in which it is produced. David Fincher’s 1999 film Fight Club examines the effects of postmodernity on masculinity. To examine and explicate these effects, the film presents an unnamed narrator, an everyman, whose alter-ego—in the dissociative sense—is Tyler Durden. Durden represents the narrators—thus every man’s—deep-seated desire to break free from the mind-numbing, emasculating world that is postmodern, post-industrial America.
Why do so many guys seem stuck between adolescence and adulthood? Guys might not completely buy into the negative parts of their atmosphere, but because it’s the group norm, they act accordingly. So if the reverse can be done, I think that can be a redeeming aspect of Guyland. In describing the young male adult culture, the author talks about there being some redeeming qualities. They’ve seen mistakes their parents have made, and they’re trying to account for that. There certainly is a negative aspect of guys not growing up in college or post-college. But there is the positive aspect: we are taking more time to think about what we want to do, and make sure that what we are doing is something we want, something we can do well. In their late
Hegemony in Merriam- Webster dictionary is defined as the social, cultural, ideological or economic influence exerted by a dominant group. In analyzing this definition, according to Collins the ideological influences exerted by a dominant group would be wealthy white men placed on the top of the tiered structure. The tiered structure can be better understood when talking about hegemonic masculinity and hegemonic femininity, yet to be able to connect these ideas the history of hegemony needs to be explained. Hegemony comes from the Italian Communist Antonio Gramsci. According to Gramsci, hegemony correlates to ideological dominance. Ideological dominance does not mean physical power, but the dominance of ideas. Gramsci was troubled by how the upper class got into the minds of the lower classes, making a way through their minds to believe in their ideas. For example Collins elaborates this ideology by expressing how white Americans have socio control over Blacks beyond the plantation. Even though a black male might no longer be enslaved, his plantation mentality is still controlled. Gramsci states that we have been conditioned by our language to think and feel about thinking in particular ways that serve the purpose of those who implemented those ideologies developing into the “dominant ideology.” What this means is that since slavery, male and female black slaves have been conditioned to think that the purpose of them being is to be slaves, because the only way in controlling social order in capitalist society is with force and inferiority. Through such conditions and ideologies it is believed that it works to keep Black men and Black women centralized on blaming each other for the problems. This in turn allows for a more cohesive understanding of hegemony and will further explain Collins’s central argument of this hegemonic ideology and the functions of
all others, has socially forced men into a narrow box that promotes manhood as strong,
Joan Scott, an American historian in gender history and intellectual history, argues that gender is the key category to analyze history, and Joan Piggott and Akiko Yoshie point out the incontrovertible fact that women did rule in ancient Japan. Scott argues that it is crucial to study how culture constructed femininity and masculinity. She applied theory to the study of the relationship of gender roles in different societies, and also linked this history approach to poststructuralism. The examination of the category women must be carefully analyzed in terms of the process of how gender created the difference in male and female identities. Therefore, it is vital to study historical female sovereignty, in order to understand the political significance, in this case, of female emperors in ancient Japan.
Masculinity is described as possession of attributes considered typical of a man. Hegemonic masculinity is a form of masculine character with cultural idealism and emphasis that connects masculinity to competitiveness, toughness, and women subordination. Masculinity hegemonic is the enforcement of male dominion over a society. Masculine ideology dates back to the time of agrarian and the industrial revolution in Europe when survival compelled men to leave their homesteads to work in industries to earn a living for their families while women remained at home to take care of family affairs (Good and Sherrod 210). Women did not work in industries then because industrial labor was considered too physical beyond their capacity. This led to definition of roles which placated the position of men in a society while condemning women as mere subordinates who cannot do without men. The critics of gender stereotypes in America describe the following five hegemonic features of masculinity: frontiersman ship, heterosexuality, occupational achievement, familial patriarchy, and physical force and control (Trujillo 4). The advent of the 20th century led to sweeping changes in American masculinity.
The 19th-Century was a period in which the expression of sexuality and sexual compulsion was firmly repressed. Charles E. Rosenberg explores the typical behaviors of the sexes, and how they related to the expression, or repression, of sexuality in “Sexuality, Class and Role in 19th-Century America.” Medical and biological literature tended to adopt very sex-negative attitudes, condemning sexual desires and activity. This literature was often ambivalent and self-contradicting. Initially, people viewed sex as a normal human behavior: they believed sexual excess was bad, but thought it was natural and necessary after puberty because horniness left unsatisfied and untreated could cause disease. However, in the 1830s, the previous sex-neutral attitude was quickly replaced by a harsher, more negative view of sexuality. “Quacks,” or charlatans, tried to instill people with a crippling fear of sex by warning them of
The gender roles in traditional Asian communities encouraged male dominance thus the high level of gender inequality in these communities. In many societies, gender is not only a source of identity but also a factor that determines what role an individual is supposed to play in the society. The Asian societies have among the communities that can be used in the illustration of the extent to which the roles of people of different genders can be different. It is understood that the roles that were traditionally meant for different genders were different in various ways. Masculinity is an important component in the social construction of gender relations (Brod, 1987; Kimmel, 1987; Kimmel & Messner, 1995). Asian American men use masculinity as means
Throughout history, time has created and shaped the ideal type of men, while society chooses what it means to be a real man..The ideal real men needed to be strong, provider of his family, decision maker, economically, educationally, physically, and politically dominant (Myers). The difference between the masculinity of the 20th century and the 21st has changed significantly. The ideal men status in 1900’s was rich, educated, powerful, and successful. In today’s perspectives, men needs to be strong, tall, handsome, capable, and unemotional. The contrast of these two centuries are mostly about men’s social status and appearances. Before, it was all about what a man is capable of doing and how powerful he could be compared to today’s ideal,
power and the ability to lead. In American culture women must act like men to gain positions of
Trager, James. Letters from Sachiko: A Japanese Woman's View of Life in the Land of the Economic Miracle. New York: Atheneum, 1982. 167. Print.
A significant part of the examination and approach in feminist studies of men has been critical of men 's forcefulness and brutality, however there is a space where men are indicating sustaining abilities and eagerness to take part in the domestic obligations with the women in their lives (Lorber, 2012, p.271) For instance, in the film Mrs. Doubtfire, Robin William 's character Daniel is unable to see his kids. In order to connect with them he is compelled to dress as a lady, and becomes employed in an occupation where a male figure would not be utilized. The involvement in the child’s life aids to reclaim fatherhood and help alter the view people have on men in general. Moreover, men themselves have already begun the push to alter masculinity. For example, a video shown in lecture demonstrates, men in Japan, transforming masculinity through herbivorous ways. Instead of conforming to the stereotypical male – aggressive, tough, strong – they change the way in which they act focusing on the ways in which they look in terms of their fashion etc. thus undermining hegemonic masculine ideals. It highlights many Asian women’s dissatisfaction with conventional male roles/behaviours while likewise signalling a growing desire in Asian men for a less aggressive and corporate lifestyle (Talahite – Moodley,
Hegemonic masculinity enforces the idea of male dominance as ‘natural’, based on the subordination of women and bonds between men. It comes from the essentialist notions of inherent biological differences between men and women, from which associated social consequences have come (Jackson, 1991). Although this comes from work written two decades ago, it continues to ring true, as demonstrated by a recent opinion article published in The Japan Times, entitled ‘In defense of traditional Indian masculinity’ and includes lines such as “But even so, let’s admit that man was born tribal (as woman
The place of women in Japanese society is an interesting blend of illusions and myth. It is within this illusion though that there are two distinct Japanese societies that of the public and private. However, the Western image of Japanese women is of the subservient Japanese woman and this image is real; it is however, only an image. Women in their private family roles’ often are dominant towards the male members of the household. When judged by Western standards, the women of Japan are unusually seen as dedicated to their families. Currently the position of women in Japanese society can be attributed to the vestiges of two old philosophies that of Confucianism and the Samurai. Not only has Japans’ society formed from these old vestiges it has also been formed by the influences of Buddhism. An example within Japanese society that shows the usage of these vestiges is how Japan barrowed Chinese Confucian heritage; a heritage where it is the value of the group over the value of an individual. Though still largely influential to the Japanese society today it has changed much since the opening of Japan in the mid-1800s to the end of World War II.
Masculinity and femininity are two terms, which have been interpreted differently throughout history. Both the males and the females have responsibilities and duties but these duties differ based on one’s gender. Gender has played a prodigious role in the economy, politics, and the society. Everyone starts making interpretations of the strengths and weaknesses based on one’s gender. These interpretations are not always based on his or her ability but is usually based on his or her gender. Males tend to be judged as extremely strong and unfashionable in terms of appearance. Whereas, females are judged as expensive and very fashionable. Males and females both differ in their abilities and their enjoyments. Fashion, entertainment, and strength are three topics, which are used to define masculinity and femininity in the 21st century.