New Masculinities: What They Are And What Is Proposed In Them
Among the contributions and controversies that have emerged from feminist approaches, especially feminism that advocates the diversity of identities, a line of research and action has emerged that is beginning to be known as “New Masculinities”
This line has allowed us to rethink different practices related to gender and understand more specifically the male subjectivities that have been consolidated as hegemonic and sometimes violent. In this way and in some spaces, it has been possible to act politically and therapeutically to counteract this.
Although it is something that is in development, we can outline here some background and proposals that have emerged, as well as important fields of action.
Gender approaches cause discomfort They are uncomfortable because they question our places in the world, they force us to rearrange subjective positions, that is, identities and relationships between one another. In this sense, they are discomforts that generate “productive discomfort” (Sánchez, 2017).
If we analyze the social transformations of recent years, and especially look at the violent practices with which many men have tried to reaffirm their own virility; we can notice that masculinity is in a crisis
A crisis that is especially visible in violence against women, but is also related to different gender discomforts experienced by men themselves. Gender approaches have allowed us to pay attention to this. They make it possible to understand some specific questions about the relationships, subjectivities and discomforts that have been constructed through gender binarism.
Until recently, the focus of attention on gender perspectives had been focused solely on women and in femininity. Masculinity and its values had remained untouchable. It then became necessary to create models that offered new places and roles (more equitable and free of violence) that not only focused on women’s experience.
An alternative to hegemonic masculinity?
New Masculinities emerge as an alternative to hegemonic masculinity. The term “hegemonic masculinity” refers to dominant masculinity behaviors, including the most traditional models of gender domination ; based, for example, on commands such as “men do not cry”, “they are always brave”, “not at all feminine”, “unquestionably heterosexual”, etc.
In other words, it is the values, beliefs, attitudes, myths, stereotypes or behaviors that legitimize men’s power and authority over women (and everyone else who is not heterosexual men).
Hegemonic masculinity is what has given rise to a whole form of political and social organization based on the idea of male leadership and the predominance of the eastern worldview over other forms of life.
However, this hegemony can also be reproduced in models that are presented as alternative and new (and not only in traditional masculinity), which is why the concept of New Masculinities itself is constantly reviewed. Thus, one of the bases for rethinking masculinity is its self-reflective and critical capacity towards the different models, values, practices and experiences of masculinity.
In short, they are known as New Masculinities because they try to consolidate alternative experiences and practices to hegemonic masculinity.
Political and therapeutic action focused on the male experience
It is quite common for men to take on the task of teaching women what to do to stop being violated. But this often happens from prohibition, and from the convenience of the man himself (do not wear such clothes, do not go out alone, do not speak in such a way, etc.).
Given this, in one way or another many women have explained that the way to show solidarity with feminist struggles, and against gender violence, is not that way; among other things because the recommendations are made from experiences completely unrelated to gender violence which in the end reproduce the same domination.
This has not only been expressed by women, but many men have responded by creating paths based on their own experience, which translate into political and therapeutic actions.
Rethink gender models
In general terms, it is about generating collective gender rethinking (specifically around masculinity) as a political action to address some phenomena related to gender violence and discomfort, from the masculine experience of men.
In other words, it is about “deconstructing” hegemonic masculinity That is, raise awareness of the historical and structural conditions that have generated inequalities and gender violence, and take individual responsibility for what corresponds.
For example, assuming when they have participated in said violence and collectively looking for some strategies to avoid it. Or, share one’s own vulnerability by making gender experiences and discomforts explicit; and from there, articulate them with the experiences and discomforts of the other gender and non-hegemonic sexualities.
New Masculinities or Hybrid Masculinities?
The concept of New Masculinities has generated many debates. For example, Jokin Azpiazu, pioneer in rethinking the male gender suggests that the idea of New Masculinities is best understood through the concept of “hybrid masculinities,” initially proposed by sociologist CJ Pascoe.
This last term refers to the fact that masculinities themselves should not be presented as new, but rather the effort should be towards incorporating non-hegemonic elements that generate new models and relationships.
Otherwise, there is a risk of adapting the same hegemonic masculinity to the new needs posed by gender approaches, which ultimately generates new forms of domination. That is, apparently innocuous practices but that ultimately reproduce the same structures of inequality
In the same sense, the author reflects on whether it is necessary to claim a different masculinity, or if it is rather a matter of problematizing masculinity as a whole.
