Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iv, 230 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 218-230).

Current research in masculinity studies has emphasised the social construction of a masculine identity rooted in historical and cultural contexts. This view excludes the psychological processes involved in the construction of a sense of self. Social constructionist and psychoanalytic perspectives tend to offer polarised views of the development of a sense of self. By adopting a combined approach incorporating both social constructionism and psychoanalysis, this study investigated how men negotiate social expectations regarding an 'acceptable' personal masculinity, and how they position themselves and others (men and women) in relation to these expectations. The participants were faced with an ideological dilemma regarding whether to conform to social expectations regarding hegemony versus being unique. This ideological dilemma was not easily resolved, resulting in a fragile sense of masculine self. This study shows that socially sanctioned masculine ideologies have significant implications on men's sense of self and the construction of a masculine identity. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

This study investigated the relationship between masculinity, cultural worldviews, and societal risk perceptions in a sample of school-going boys between the ages of 17 and 18 years old. The main objective was to examine the nature of the relationship between these variables of interest with the purpose of gaining insight into the type of societal risks that are of most concern and those risks that are rejected by males conforming to traditional masculine norms. Furthermore, this study compared the pattern of societal risk perceptions held by males conforming to the traditional masculinity type with the risk perceptions of males adhering to the accommodating and progressive masculinity types. This study also attempted to identify the type of cultural worldviews that were held by individuals adhering to traditional masculine norms and values. One hundred and fifty seven adolescent boys participated in the study and were given two questionnaires and two psychometric scales to complete. The findings of this study showed that males embracing traditional masculine norms and values were more likely to endorse hierarchical and individualist worldviews and to be less concerned about a variety of societal risks and the impact these posed for the South African public. In contrast, participants conforming to progressive masculine norms were more likely to be risk sensitive, showing heightened concern for the negative impact of a number of societal risks on the South African public. In accordance with cultural theory of risk, the risk ideologies upheld by each of the masculinity types were found to be functional in the sense that they supported the core values and agenda of that masculinity type. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

This study uses content analysis of newspaper articles and athlete biographical/autobiographical sources to examine the constructions of masculinity of male and female athletes at the 2008 Paralympic Summer Games in Beijing, China. Based on the socially constructed tension between disability and masculinity and the connections between sport and masculinity, this study sought examples that support or challenge the portrayal of Paralympic athletes in hegemonic masculine terms. This study finds that in the majority of cases, both sets of data sources reflects and/or reinforces the association between sport and hegemonic masculinity. This public display of masculinity indicates the athletes’ attempt to attain mainstream acceptance and legitimacy as “real” athletes as much as it does a rejection of a collective disability identity. The few instances of rejection and reformulation of masculinity come from examples in which the realities of living with impairments are insurmountable barriers to attaining hegemonic masculinity.

This study uses content analysis of newspaper articles and athlete biographical/autobiographical sources to examine the constructions of masculinity of male and female athletes at the 2008 Paralympic Summer Games in Beijing, China. Based on the socially constructed tension between disability and masculinity and the connections between sport and masculinity, this study sought examples that support or challenge the portrayal of Paralympic athletes in hegemonic masculine terms. This study finds that in the majority of cases, both sets of data sources reflects and/or reinforces the association between sport and hegemonic masculinity. This public display of masculinity indicates the athletes’ attempt to attain mainstream acceptance and legitimacy as “real” athletes as much as it does a rejection of a collective disability identity. The few instances of rejection and reformulation of masculinity come from examples in which the realities of living with impairments are insurmountable barriers to attaining hegemonic masculinity.

This dissertation intends to undertake an analysis of one of the most deeply-rooted dichotomies in Turkey&rsquo / s political and cultural history, -the Islamist-Kemalist divide- through a cultural, interdisciplinary and gender-conscious approach. Both the Kemalist and the Islamist identities situate themselves vis-&agrave / -vis the Other, as if they were mutually exclusive entities. However, when and if these formulations are approached as culturally shaped discursive practices, it is also revealed that they operate with and within similarities, continuities and hybridities. Intellectuals on both sides derive their metaphors from a common cultural and rhetorical pool. The cultural analysis of seemingly opposite ideological positions in Turkish political transformation through the gender lens in general and masculinities in particular identifies the various sites of social power that exist in Turkish society today. The study pays particular attention to conceptualizations of masculinity and femininity accompanying Turkey&rsquo / s modernization. The relative newness of the subject matter, the interdisciplinary approach it necessitates, and the recentness of the theoretical literature and methodological applications, as well as the paucity of empirical work in the context of Turkey employing these parameters necessarily draws the limits of this work as well as showing for the multidisciplinary, &ldquo / unorthodox&rdquo / character of the approach. The study contends that such a cultural analysis of Turkish political transformation through the lens of gender in general and masculinities in particular might create a new epistemological terrain, one that goes beyond the current epistemologies mired in ontological dualities.

Errata slips inserted inside front cover. / Bibliography: leaves 307-331. / v, 331 leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of English Language and Literature, 1994

Thesis (M.F.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on April 9, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Th.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010. / Full text also available online. Scroll down for electronic link.

Thesis (M.A.)--Bowling Green State University, 2006. / Document formatted into pages; contains v, 92 p. Includes bibliographical references.