Analyzing Masculinity in American Cinema

In course

Description

This lecture explores the concept of masculinity in American cinema from 1968 to 2014, focusing on the relationship between masculinity, technology, and power dynamics. It delves into gender studies, defining gender as a relational concept based on shared stereotypes and beliefs. The lecture discusses hegemonic masculinity as the accepted response to patriarchal legitimacy, ensuring male dominance and female subordination. It also examines the work of scholars like Joan Scott and R. Connell in defining gender and masculinity. The presentation highlights the complexity of masculinity as a cultural construct that influences bodily experiences and personalities. Through an analysis of film characters and their portrayal, the lecture sheds light on the intricate interplay between gender, power, and representation in cinema.

Official source

https://mediaspace.epfl.ch/media/0_ld5vrw4t

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The concept of toxic masculinity is used in media discussions to refer to those aspects of hegemonic masculinity that are socially destructive, such as misogyny, bullying and violent domination. These traits are considered "toxic" due in part to their promotion of violence, including sexual assault and domestic violence. Socialization of boys also normalizes violence. Self-reliance and emotional repression are correlated with increased psychological problems in men such as depression, increased stress, and substance use disorders.

Gender

Gender includes the social, psychological, cultural and behavioral aspects of being a man, woman, or other gender identity. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender expression. Most cultures use a gender binary, in which gender is divided into two categories, and people are considered part of one or the other (boys/men and girls/women); those who are outside these groups may fall under the umbrella term non-binary.

Sex–gender distinction

Though the terms sex and gender have been used interchangeably since at least the fourteenth century, in contemporary academic literature they usually have distinct meanings. Sex generally refers to an organism's biological sex, while gender usually refers to either social roles typically associated with the sex of a person (gender role) or personal identification of one's own gender based on an internal awareness (gender identity).

Gender studies

Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. The field now overlaps with queer studies and men's studies. Its rise to prominence, especially in Western universities after 1990, coincided with the rise of deconstruction.

Grammatical gender

In linguistics, a grammatical gender system is a specific form of a noun class system, where nouns are assigned to gender categories that are often not related to the real-world qualities of the entities denoted by those nouns. In languages with grammatical gender, most or all nouns inherently carry one value of the called gender; the values present in a given language (of which there are usually two or three) are called the genders of that language.