What is there to learn about violence and masculinity from a genderqueer man?
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Authors
Helman, Rebecca
Ratele, Kopano
Issue Date
2018
Type
Article
Language
en
Keywords
Violence; masculinity; men; genderqueer; LGBTIQ+
Alternative Title
Abstract
Background: In light of the global health burden of violence, which is predominantly
perpetrated by men, studies have explored the relationship between masculinities and
violence. However, there is a relative lack of work focusing on non-hegemonic men and
masculinities in relation to violence. Such work has the potential to advance violence
prevention work.
Objective: This article aims to show the shifting relationship between constructions of violent
and non-violent masculinity in the talk of a genderqueer man. The article also aims to
demonstrate how qualitative approaches are able to reveal the complexity and contradiction
in accounts of masculine identities as these are negotiated within the context of the research
interview.
Methods: The article is based on a case study of Adam, a middle-class, ‘white’, ‘genderqueer’
man who participated in a larger study which explored the ways in which gender is
constructed within 18 South African families. Adam’s interview is analysed using a
Foucauldian discourse analysis.
Results: The analysis demonstrates the complex and contradictory process involved in
negotiating and resisting a violent version of masculinity. Constructing male violence as
rooted in particular psychosocial and cultural assumptions, rather than as an automatic
biological response, enables Adam to resist this violence. This deconstruction of violent
masculinity is linked to Adam’s ‘genderqueer’ identity or ‘in-betweenness’, which facilitates
a critical consciousness in relation to notions of gender. The analysis also demonstrates how
notions of masculinity are deliberated and co-constructed within the relational context of the
interview.
Conclusions: This article shows that resisting and reformulating masculinity in non-violent
ways is a complex process. This suggests that violence prevention efforts need to focus on
the creation of spaces for ongoing dialogues about non-violence. As demonstrated by the
context of the interview, relational, conversational spaces have the potential to facilitate the
co-construction of non-violent masculinities.
Description
Citation
Helman, R., & Ratele, K. (2018). What is there to learn about violence and masculinity from a genderqueer man?. Global health action, 11(1), 1458937.