LINC28H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Civil Force, Social Relation, Masculinity
Document Summary
Boys put enormous effort into being masculine. They need to distance themselves from their mothers, to repress the early intimate bond w/ the parent who nurtures them. Nancy chodorow"s work in object-relations theory w/in sociology: In this view, male children must distinguish their own identity as masculine from the identity of their female parent, leading to anxiety and compulsive performances of maleness. Boys have to prove their masculinity, constantly. Boys and men have a lot to gain from masculinity. Boys soon learn that it is highly valued, something worth achieving. By performing masculinity, men can expect to reap respect, prestige and the right to command: the patriarchal dividend". Masculine and feminine identities are effects of discursive practices. Masculinity is performed by individuals, of course, but it is not an individual property or attribute; it is formed w/in institutions and is historically constituted. Like femininity, it is discursively produced and its articulation spans institutions.
