Hegemonic masculinity in the theory of hegemony

Authors

Richard Howson, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

26701

Publication Details

Howson, R. 2008, 'Hegemonic masculinity in the theory of hegemony', Men and Masculinities, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 109-113.

Abstract

This article responds to Christine Beasleys article Rethinking Hegemonic Masculinity ina Globalizing World, which begins to articulate a set of theoretical issues that for masculinitiesstudies today, marked by the ethnographic moment, is of considerable importancebecause it enables new questions to be raised about key theoretical axioms such ashegemonic masculinity. This article offers a critical examination of Beasleys reference toslippage in the theorization of hegemonic masculinity. It develops two Gramscian concepts:historical bloc and integral state because both express the dialectic nature of hegemonyand its construction around certain hegemonic principles. The aim is to emphasizethat any critical theorization of hegemonic masculinity requires a deeper engagement withthe theory of hegemony. Without this any resultant understanding becomes disconnectedfrom what Walter Adamson called the extreme interconnectedness of Gramsci's conceptualuniverse and will lead to theoretical uncertainties exemplified in the interpretive andmeaning slippages discussed here.