This study examines the perspectives and lived experiences of seven blind men in their embodied tactile, audial and olfactory sensations and experiences, and situating their identities in both societal and historical conditions and social discourses and prejudices in regards to masculinity, blindness and disabled bodies. Through theories on embodiment, phenomenology, gender performativity, crip theory and intersectional theory, studies on blind gendered experiences, historical research on blind life experiences in Sweden, and linguistic and cultural representations of blindness, this study examines how the subjectivity of each participant is created in the meeting and interactions between the individual embodied experience and the societal intersubjective experience of living in a blind body. The participants regard masculinity as a collection of norms, attitudes and expectations, that is characterized by a competitive social dominance, scarce or lack of emotional expressions, egocentrism and disregard for other, and being sexually active and successful. Masculinity is expressed through a range of embodied performative actions such as audibly, tactile, olfactory, and visually. The participants The participants express a societal pressure on performing masculinity, as living as a blind subject and not adhering to assigned gender norms have profound effects and consequences on the individuals options and opportunities to form both professional and intimate relationships, and thus accelerate risks of experiencing unemployment, stigmatization, and social isolation. The rigid frames of masculinity blind men live under is closely intertwined with their socioeconomic status in society, and the empowerment and broader representation of disabled bodies och subjects is the key to a more open untethered blind expression and understanding of gender.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:su-183748 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Danielsson, Axel |
| Publisher | Stockholms universitet, Genusvetenskap |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
Page generated in 0.0023 seconds