Thesis (Ph.D.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2005. / Restricted until May 2006. Bibliography: leaves 233-247.

Equality is a central aspect within development work. All development work is expected to be influenced by a gender equalty thinking, and these directions are distributed by the Department of Foreign Affairs, through Sida to Forum Syd and down to the very grasroot level, through Forum Syds local cooperation organisations. The essays question of research is a reflection over empowerment, with other words how international organisations influence other societies understanding of the society dynamics. This aspect triggered my interest for the subject, aswell as the link between aid, equality and men, and how these factors are in need of eachother. My study is mainly build on theoretical starting points, and not on earlier studies. The theories are split into five blocks, that are aligned along a makro/mikro scale, in order to, in the best way posssible, capture the connections between the globality of aid and its local consequences. Though the main purpose of my study is to find out how Forum Syds local cooperation organisations work towards gender equality with men, the problem is far from local. The obvious message in my study is that globality influences locality, and because of that it is important to be aware of the complexity that stands behind development work. Development trends can never be understood without taking the global capitalist market and the western hegemony under consideration. The historical and the cultural influences, that effects and shapes our world and way of thinking, must aswell be included in the translations. Despite all difficulties I do believe that the work of the organisations is a winning concept, because they adapt the development work to local needs, and have an understanding for cultural, historical and religious factors. Their approach eliminates the risk for their work becoming abstract and unsuccessful.

This dissertation sets out to explore Lacan’s idea of the paradoxical condition of the masculine gender construction. As privileged, favored, powerful, entitled, and hegemonic as it may seem, masculinity does not come without its awareness of what Lacan has most accurately labeled the “threat or even […] the guise of deprivation.” In fact, this construction not only assumes threat and deprivation to its identity but goes so far as to rely upon these potential attacks as necessities in order to perform itself. In other words, the masculine role can only be identified, recognized and/or mean when presented with a threat. As with any identity, masculinity is not autonomous nor is it essential in signification; it must confront that which is not masculine, that which is always a potential threat to its identity, if it is to appear in any way privileged, favored, powerful, entitled, hegemonic or whatever any culture construes masculinity to be. This argument is applied to four of Shakespeare’s comedies in terms of the male characters’ ability or reason to speak.

This research project examines the personal and political experiences of five men engaged in pro-feminist organizing. Their experiences are explored in the context of the emergence of anti- feminist groups, and an increasingly volatile funding environment whereby women’s rights organizations are seeing their financial resources threatened. Using a critical and sociological approach to masculinities, significant challenges at the personal level for these pro-feminist men are examined and are shown to compound engagement with women feminists, and the potential of cross gender partnerships. A people-oriented qualitative approach is employed to capture men’s personal journeys and how they self- identify with the feminist movement. This research adds to the prevalent “Man Question”, contesting men’s engagement in the feminist movement. Ultimately, however, the thesis concludes that men’s engagement in the feminist movement needs to be clearly positioned as a political project with an explicit commitment to building alliances with women’s rights networks.

This research project examines the personal and political experiences of five men engaged in pro-feminist organizing. Their experiences are explored in the context of the emergence of anti- feminist groups, and an increasingly volatile funding environment whereby women’s rights organizations are seeing their financial resources threatened. Using a critical and sociological approach to masculinities, significant challenges at the personal level for these pro-feminist men are examined and are shown to compound engagement with women feminists, and the potential of cross gender partnerships. A people-oriented qualitative approach is employed to capture men’s personal journeys and how they self- identify with the feminist movement. This research adds to the prevalent “Man Question”, contesting men’s engagement in the feminist movement. Ultimately, however, the thesis concludes that men’s engagement in the feminist movement needs to be clearly positioned as a political project with an explicit commitment to building alliances with women’s rights networks.

In this thesis, I examine the domestication of the Gothic hero-villain in Charlotte Brontës Jane Eyre, Emily Brontës Wuthering Heights, and Anne Brontës The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Each of these novels features a powerful Gothic figure who finds himself physically and emotionally subject to the heroine. This subjection is closely linked to the passing away of that hero-villains Gothic masculinity and his conversion to or replacement by domestic, middle-class masculinity. I argue that the larger social shift from gentry and aristocratic authority in eighteenth-century British society to the entrenchment of domestic, middle-class ideology in the Victorian period and the accompanying shift from an elite to a bourgeois model of masculinity are largely responsible for the subjection, and conversion or supplanting, of these Gothic hero-villains. <p>This social-historical framework also allows me to examine these male characters from a masculinist perspective. Much recent Brontë criticism has been feminist in nature, and these analyses fail to do justice to the novels male characters, usually examining them only in relation to the heroine or indeed casting them as feminized figures, especially when their masculinity is perceived to be unconventional. By looking at effects of the shift from elite to domestic masculinity, I offer a more nuanced analysis of these male characters and how they navigate changing expectations of masculinity. <p>I conclude that though these novels follow a similar pattern, which seems to reify domestic ideology, each Brontë supports this ideology to a different degree. This problematization of ideology has a long tradition in the Gothic novel, which is frequently ambivalent and can be used for either revolutionary or reactionary ends. Charlotte and Anne Brontë defeat the Gothic and gentry masculinity of their hero-villains, making way for the domestic man. Along the way, Charlotte Brontë creates a marriage that is both domestic and radically equal; Anne Brontë critiques the dictates of domestic ideology before finally reifying it. Most interestingly, Emily Brontë allows Heathcliff to die unrepentant and haunt the closing pages of Wuthering Heights. Of the three sisters, Emily Brontë most strongly resists domestic ideology and masculinity in her treatment of the Gothic hero-villain.

L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és avançar cap a una redefinició de la representació literària de la masculinitat heroica. A tal efecte, s'han examinat les narratives autobiogràfiques en resposta a la Primera Guerra Mundial escrites pels poetes de guerra que conformen el cànon literari en llengua anglesa. L’anàlisi dels textos es realitza a partir de la tensió entre dos mites: el 'mite de l'heroi victorià' i el 'mite del fantasma.' El mite de l’heroic victorià es refereix a la representació de la masculinitat heroica de mitjans-finals del segle XIX, fundada en la tradició èpica i romàntica i en una concepció essencialista de l’home impulsada per la propaganda imperialista, per l’experiència de la Guerra Bòer i pels valors i actituds transmesos per l'escola pública anglesa. El mite del fantasma, d’altra banda, emfatitza la idea que la Primera Guerra Mundial destrueix la representació del soldat com a heroi i de la guerra com a romanç, centrant-se, no només en la discontinuïtat amb el passat heroic, sinó en la figura del soldat com a fantasma, com a ésser feble, vulnerable i emasculat. Si bé els textos estudiats es consideren exemples emblemàtics del mite del fantasma, aquesta tesi sosté que aquesta postura és limitada i parcial en relació a la representació de la guerra i, essencialment, de la figura del soldat. No es pren prou en compte la complexitat en la resposta literària a una experiència que no només es presenta com una de les més traumàtiques i pertorbadores del segle XX sinó que ofereix un context de circumstàncies contradictòries i canviants que impedeix una interpretació unànime. L'anàlisi detallada de diaris, cartes, memòries i noveI.les autobiogràfiques escrites pels poetes canònics demostra que les obres més reflexives i valuoses de la literatura de guerra transcendeixen tant la narrativa heroica com l’anti-heroica per explorar les ambigüitats i contradiccions i eventualment redefinir l’ideal heroic. Aquest treball se centra en cóm aquesta tensió entre els dos mites es manifesta en els vincles relacionals del soldat, fonamentalment en les actituds respecte al camarada, l'amic, l'amant, l'enemic i el covard, no només des de la perspectiva d'una crisi d’identitat sinó com a punt de partida per al sorgiment d'un model alternatiu viable de masculinitat heroica. / El objetivo de esta tesis es avanzar hacia una redefinición de la representación literaria de la masculinidad heroica. Para ello, se han examinado las narrativas autobiográficas en respuesta a la Primera Guerra Mundial escritas por los poetas de guerra que conforman el canon literario en lengua inglesa. Los textos son analizados a partir de la tensión entre dos mitos: el ‘mito del héroe victoriano’ y el ‘mito del fantasma.’ El mito del héroe victoriano se refiere a la representación de la masculinidad heroica de mediados-finales del siglo XIX, fundada en la tradición épica y romántica y en una concepción esencialista del hombre impulsada por la propaganda imperialista, por la experiencia de la Guerra Bóer y por los valores y actitudes transmitidos por la escuela pública inglesa. El mito del fantasma, por otro lado, enfatiza la idea de que la Primera Guerra Mundial destruye la representación del soldado como héroe y de la guerra como romance, centrándose, no sólo en la discontinuidad con el pasado heroico, sino en la figura del soldado como fantasma, como ser débil, vulnerable y emasculado. Si bien los textos estudiados han sido considerados ejemplos emblemáticos del mito del fantasma, esta tesis sostiene que esa postura es limitada y parcial en lo que refiere a la representación de la guerra y, esencialmente, de la figura del soldado. No se toma suficientemente en cuenta la complejidad en la respuesta literaria a una experiencia que no sólo se presenta como una de las más traumáticas y perturbadoras del siglo veinte sino que ofrece un contexto de circunstancias contradictorias y cambiantes que impide una interpretación unánime. El análisis detallado de diarios, cartas, memorias y novelas autobiográficas escritas por los poetas canónicos demuestra que las obras más reflexivas y valiosas de la literatura de guerra trascienden tanto la narrativa heroica como la anti-heroica para explorar las ambigüedades y contradicciones y eventualmente redefinir el ideal heroico. Este trabajo se centra en cómo esa tensión entre los dos mitos se manifiesta en los vínculos relacionales del soldado, fundamentalmente en las actitudes hacia el camarada, el amigo, el amante, el enemigo y el cobarde, no sólo desde la perspectiva de una crisis de identidad sino como punto de partida para el surgimiento de un modelo alternativo viable de masculinidad heroica. / This thesis works towards a redefinition of the representation of heroic masculinity in the autobiographical narratives written by the canonical British war poets in response to the Great War. The texts have been analysed from the perspective of the tension between two myths: the ‘Victorian hero myth’ and the ‘Ghost myth.’ The Victorian hero myth refers to the representation of heroic masculinity in mid-to late-nineteenth century Britain, based on the epic and romance traditions and on an essentialist conception of manhood promoted by imperial propaganda, the Boer War experience and the public-school ethos. The Ghost myth, on the other hand, emphasises the idea that the Great War destroyed the representation of the soldier and of war itself as heroic, highlighting not only the discontinuities with a heroic past but the figure of the soldier as a ghost, a weak, vulnerable and emasculated human being. Although the texts under study are regarded as significant examples of the Ghost myth, this thesis argues that such a view is too limited and simplistic as regards the representation of war and, most essentially, of the figure of the soldier, taking insufficiently into account the complexity of response to a diverse and multifaceted experience. A close and detailed analysis of the selected war diaries, letters, memoirs and autobiographical novels shows that much of the finest literature of the Great War refuses single-minded interpretations and transcends the conventional patriotic-heroic and protest-anti-heroic readings to explore the ambiguities and contradictions and to eventually redefine the heroic ideal. This thesis essentially focuses on how the tension between the two dominant myths is expressed in the relational aspect – the soldier’s attitudes towards the comrade, the friend, the lover, the enemy and the coward – not only from the perspective of an identity crisis but also as the source of a viable alternative model of heroic masculinity.

This study of forty-nine Christian blogs explores how groups of bloggers in two case studies resist and/or perpetuate hegemonic gender ideologies online and where these bloggers draw authority from for these views. The findings reveal that bloggers are most likely to cite texts as sources of authority and are more likely to affirm authority (78.1%) than to challenge it (25.7%). The bloggers in my sample, who were majority male, use an array of strategies in their efforts to resist hegemonic gender norms. These included, but are not limited to, debating God’s gender, emphasizing women’s roles in the Bible, privileging equality in theological interpretations, redefining masculinity and employing satire and images to delegitimize hegemonic power.

I dagens samhälle känner allt fler unga ett utanförskap och hiphopen har blivit ett viktigt medel för att illustrera detta utanförskap. Syftet med uppsatsen är att belysa hur en motståndskultur kan komma till uttryck via musik. En textanalys på gangsterrappgruppen Kartellens låttexter har utförts för att klarlägga vilken motståndskultur gruppen uttrycker i texterna, samt vilka centrala aspekter denna kultur innehåller. För att besvara studiens frågeställningar har Howard S Beckers teori om avvikande och R W Connells teori om maskulinitet använts. I rapporten har även tidigare forskning kring gatukultur, hiphop och utanförskap behandlats. De centrala aspekterna i resultatet rör gatukultur, maskulinitet, utanförskap och de fiender som gruppen anser sig ha. Det finns påtagliga kopplingar mellan dessa teman och hur de påverkar varandra. Ett av de tydligaste budskapen Kartellen förmedlar i sina texter rör den politik som förs i Sverige och gruppens polisförakt. De har både blivit hyllade och kritiserade i media för sina låttexter som ofta innehåller grova våldsskildringar men som samtidigt belyser segregation och utanförskap.

In this thesis, I examine the domestication of the Gothic hero-villain in Charlotte Brontës Jane Eyre, Emily Brontës Wuthering Heights, and Anne Brontës The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Each of these novels features a powerful Gothic figure who finds himself physically and emotionally subject to the heroine. This subjection is closely linked to the passing away of that hero-villains Gothic masculinity and his conversion to or replacement by domestic, middle-class masculinity. I argue that the larger social shift from gentry and aristocratic authority in eighteenth-century British society to the entrenchment of domestic, middle-class ideology in the Victorian period and the accompanying shift from an elite to a bourgeois model of masculinity are largely responsible for the subjection, and conversion or supplanting, of these Gothic hero-villains. <p>This social-historical framework also allows me to examine these male characters from a masculinist perspective. Much recent Brontë criticism has been feminist in nature, and these analyses fail to do justice to the novels male characters, usually examining them only in relation to the heroine or indeed casting them as feminized figures, especially when their masculinity is perceived to be unconventional. By looking at effects of the shift from elite to domestic masculinity, I offer a more nuanced analysis of these male characters and how they navigate changing expectations of masculinity. <p>I conclude that though these novels follow a similar pattern, which seems to reify domestic ideology, each Brontë supports this ideology to a different degree. This problematization of ideology has a long tradition in the Gothic novel, which is frequently ambivalent and can be used for either revolutionary or reactionary ends. Charlotte and Anne Brontë defeat the Gothic and gentry masculinity of their hero-villains, making way for the domestic man. Along the way, Charlotte Brontë creates a marriage that is both domestic and radically equal; Anne Brontë critiques the dictates of domestic ideology before finally reifying it. Most interestingly, Emily Brontë allows Heathcliff to die unrepentant and haunt the closing pages of Wuthering Heights. Of the three sisters, Emily Brontë most strongly resists domestic ideology and masculinity in her treatment of the Gothic hero-villain.