“Kinda Like a Man and a Woman Thing”: The Construction and Reification of Gender Hegemony in a Women’s Prison

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 413-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Gorga
Keyword(s):  
Social Control ◽  
Social Construct ◽  
Global System ◽  
Masculinity And Femininity ◽  
Gender Regime ◽  
Gender Hierarchy ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Gender Practices ◽  
Women's Prison ◽  
Definition Of

This article examines how a hegemonic gender regime is constructed and maintained by persons with bodies marked as female. Using semistructured interviews with prisoners in a women’s prison, I demonstrate how a gender dichotomy is replicated among a population of primarily women in which certain styles of masculinity and femininity are posited as complimentary and situated within a gender hierarchy. Prisoners cocreated and maintained an ideal definition of masculinity—“studs”—that centered on status, resources, and heteronormative sexual patterns, whereas femininities—“femmes”—were subordinated and their gender practices devalued. Studs were subjected to greater levels of social control and were stigmatized for stepping out of the prescribed bounds of normative stud behavior. Although several respondents also contested or challenged hypermasculinities in the prison, this contestation often reified gender and sexual expectations for studs. The presence of such a gender regime in a women’s prison suggests that the global system of masculine dominance is an obstinate social construct.

Coital Experience and Definition of Masculinity and Femininity by College Students

1980 ◽  
Vol 47 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1307-1313 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Kallen ◽  
De Wayne Moore ◽  
Judith J. Stephenson
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Differential Selection ◽  
Masculinity And Femininity ◽  
Role Learning ◽  
Active Data ◽  
Definition Of

Recent changes in sexual behavior of unmarried college students raise the question as to whether or not they are accompanied by changes in conceptions of masculinity and femininity on the part of the students. Changes in conceptions of masculinity and femininity might be the consequence of differential selection into coital activity or of new role learning by those who are coitally active. Data are presented from a study of sexual behavior of 823 college students which support the latter hypothesis for males but not for females.

Drawing Down the Moon: Defining Magic in the Ancient Greco­Roman World

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-34
Author(s):  
Radcliffe G. Edmonds III
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Tradition ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Social Construct ◽  
Perceived Efficacy ◽  
Roman World ◽  
Greco Roman ◽  
The Social ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Over Time

This introductory chapter provides a definition of magic. One of the most useful adjustments in the recent scholarship on magic has been the turn to considering magic as a dynamic social construct, instead of some particular reality. Magic is not a thing, but a way of talking. Thus, magic is a discourse pertaining to non-normative ritualized activity, in which the deviation from the norm is most often marked in terms of the perceived efficacy of the act, the familiarity of the performance within the cultural tradition, the ends for which the act is performed, or the social location of the performer. Such a discourse always has a history, since such a way of talking about things shifts over time as different people do the talking. When one speaks of “magic,” therefore, one should always explain: “magic for whom?” Any specific piece of evidence from the ancient Greco-Roman world provides an example of magic for that particular person, from one particular perspective. To speak of “magic in the ancient Greco-Roman world” is thus to refer to the whole range of things that various people in those cultures during those times could label as “magic.” The chapter then considers the act of drawing down the moon.

scholarly journals Die Christelike huwelik – ’n sosiale konstruk of ’n verbondsgegewe?

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakobus M. Vorster
Keyword(s):  
Human Dignity ◽  
Spiritual Gifts ◽  
Imago Dei ◽  
Social Construct ◽  
Moral Principles ◽  
Postmodern Ethics ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
Husband And Wife

In die huweliksetiek van die postmoderne era pleit verskeie christelike teoloë vir ’n eietydse inkleding van die huwelikskonsep. As beginpunt word die standpunt oorweeg dat daar nie sprake van ’n sogenaamde ‘bybelse huwelik’ kan wees nie omdat die huwelik as instelling ’n sosiale konstruk is wat kultureel en tradisioneel bepaal word. So kan alternatiewe saamblyverhoudings deur christene in die huidige postmoderne era as geldig aanvaar word. Na die bespreking van sommige van die outeurs wat hierdie mening huldig se standpunte, pleit hierdie artikel vir die siening dat die huwelik verbondsgegewe en ’n instelling van God is. As sodanig is dit ’n instelling waar man, vrou en God verbind word in ’n interdimensionele spirituele verhouding wat uitstyg bo die patriargalisme en androsentrisme wat tradisioneelaan ’n christelike huwelik toegeskryf is. Deur te let op die skeppingsaard van die huwelik (imago dei en verbond) en die christologiese en pneumatologiese perspektief op hierdie instelling, word betoog dat dit nie maar net ’n sosiale konstruk is nie, maar dat dit ’n goddelike instelling is wat deur hoër beginsels, ontgin uit bybelse openbaring, ingerig behoort te word. As kerke die gedagte van die huwelik as ’n verbondsgegewe bedien, kan hulle bydra tot die vestiging van huwelike wat deur menswaardigheid, liefde, getrouheid en die ontwikkeling van die geestesgawes van man sowel as vrou gekenmerk word.The Christian marriage – a social construct or a covenantal relation. In the postmodern ethics of marriage several christian theologians plead for a contemporary definition of the concept of marriage. They choose as a point of departure that the concept biblical marriage cannot be accepted as valid, because marriage is a social construct determined only by tradition and culture. Alternative forms of cohabitation should also be accepted by christians as valid in the contemporary postmodern environment. Following a discussion of the works of some of these authors who hold this opinion, this article attempts to make a case for the view that marriage should regarded as an institution of God and a covenantal reality, where husband, wife and God are bonded in an interdimensional relationship that overarches the patriarchalism and androcentrism that is usually ascribed to a christian marriage. By paying attention to the creational character of marriage (imago dei and covenant) and the christological and pneumatological perspectives on this institution, the article argues that marriage cannot be seen merely as a social construct, but that it is a divine institution that should be constructed according to the higher moral principles derived from the unfolding biblical revelation. If churches minister the idea of marriage as a covenantal relation, they can contribute to the establishment of christian marriages qualified by human dignity, love, faithfulness and the development of the spiritual gifts of both husband and wife.

Homicide Survivors’ Definitions of Forgiveness: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Extrapersonal Orientations

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 869-887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen L. Hourigan
Keyword(s):  
Victim Services ◽  
Homicide Survivors ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Definition Of

This article explores the definition of forgiveness from the perspective of individuals who have lost loved ones to homicide. This article draws on 33 in-depth, semistructured interviews that asked participants to define and discuss forgiveness and non-forgiveness both in general and as it relates to homicide. Analysis shows three distinct definitions of, or orientations toward, forgiveness, each learned through interaction with family and/or religion: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and extrapersonal. Analyses suggest that future investigations must include multiple definitions of forgiveness, and victim services must be cognizant of these various pathways toward forgiveness.

Delinquency and Social Policy: A Historical Perspective

1977 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 383-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Lerman
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Control ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Belief System ◽  
Delinquent Youth ◽  
American System ◽  
Correctional System ◽  
Definition Of

The American belief system has traditionally emphasized the ideals of liberty, justice for all, and freedom from arbitrary authority. An examination of our response to delinquent youth, from a historical perspective, reveals a profound discrepancy between these ideals and our societal practices. The issue of liberty is related to the traditional overreach of the A merican definition of delinquency. The issue of justice is related to the American failure to specify a correspondence between degrees of delinquency and degrees of correctional response. Restraint from arbitrary authority is related to the broad discretion that permits more youth to be detained than to be adjudicated in a court of law. An examination of recent data and trends indicates that the American system can be characterized more accurately as a juvenile social control system than as a justice or correctional system.

scholarly journals Blurred Boundaries – A Qualitative Study of How Acts of Self-Harm and Attempted Suicide Are Defined by Mental Health Practitioners

Crisis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 247-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen James ◽  
Duncan Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Mental Health Practitioners ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Practice Method ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Common Understanding

Abstract. Background: There is no commonly accepted definition of the term self-harm, and there is an ongoing debate about whether or not it should include acts of attempted suicide. The use of this language in clinical practice has not previously been explored. Aims: To investigate if, and how, practitioners distinguish between acts of self-harm and attempted suicide, and present any implications for practice. Method: We conducted semistructured interviews with a random sample of 18 frontline practitioners from 10 mental health wards and completed a thematic analysis of interview data. Results: Most participants described self-harm and attempted suicide as distinct behaviors. Characteristics of the act, disclosures of intent, and the level of distress observed were commonly used to differentiate between self-harm and attempted suicide. Very few participants believed that people who self-harm may also feel suicidal. Practitioners confidently described two different behaviors, yet self-harm and attempted suicide were often conflated, revealing the challenges and complexities associated with the separation of these acts in clinical practice. Limitations: Clinicians working in other settings or disciplines may have different views. Participants' accounts may not be an accurate representation of what happens in practice. Conclusion: This study adds to a body of evidence which argues against the dichotomous separation of these behaviors into acts of suicidal and nonsuicidal self-harm.Our findings suggest there is no common understanding of the boundaries between self-harm and attempted suicide among frontline clinicians. The language currently used, and consequent practice, particularly with regard to risk assessment, is problematic. Efforts should be made to operationalize terms around suicidal behavior and to incorporate these into training for clinical staff.

scholarly journals Vallattomat naiset – Naisen muuttuva paikka Orange Is the New Black -sarjassa

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Outi Hakola
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
Different Shapes ◽  
Gender Practices ◽  
Women's Prison ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Representations Of Women

Vallattomat naiset – Naisen muuttuva paikka Orange Is the New Black -sarjassaNaisvankilasta kertova yhdysvaltalainen komediallinen draamasarja Orange Is the New Black (Netflix, 2013–) on herättänyt keskustelua siinä esitettyjen naisrepresentaatioiden monipuolisuudesta. Sarjan on nähty sekä rikkovan että toistavan olemassa olevia luokkaan, sukupuoleen, etnisyyteen ja ihonväriin liittyviä stereotyyppisiä representaatioita.Sarjamuotoisuus on mahdollistanut erilaisia tulkintoja, sillä jaksosta toiseen eri henkilöhahmojen motivaatioita määritellään uusissa konteksteissa. Sarjan monipaikkaista kerrontaa rakennetaan vaihtuvilla kerronan näkökulmilla, kuten takaumilla. Tällä tavoin aiemmin esitettyjä tulkintoja esimerkiksi hahmojen syistä joutua vankilaan voidaan kääntää päälaelleen.Representaatioiden joustavuus mahdollistaa kurittomuutta kyseenalaistamalla sitä, millainen naiseus on ihannoitavaa. Tarinan päähahmot liikkuvat sujuvasti erilaisten sukupuolittuneiden normien lomitse haastaen oletuksia ”miesten” tai ”naisten” rooleista. Myös intiimi ruumiillisuuden ja seksuaalisuuden kuvaus kyseenalaistaa amerikkalaisen populaarikulttuurin kauneusihanteita korostamalla erilaisia kehoja ja arkisia ruumiintoimintoja. Analysoin naiseuden kerronnallistamista ja erityisesti Netflixin sarjallisuuden vaikutusta Orange is the New Blackin henkilöhahmojen kuvaukseen feministisestä ja intersektionaalisesta näkökulmasta. Tuon esille, miten valitut kerrontamuodot luovat kuvaa naisista, jotka haastavat yksiulotteisia määrittelyjä ja olemassa olevia sosiaalisia ja symbolisia käytänteitä toimimalla tavoilla, jotka rikkovat naisten sukupuoleen, luokkaan, etnisyyteen, ihonväriin tai ikään liitettyjä käytösnormeja. Unruly Women – Repositioning Women in Orange Is the New BlackOrange is the New Black (Netflix, 2013–), a women’s prison drama-comedy, has inspired critical discussion on the diversity of its representations of women. The series has been claimed to both break down and reproduce existing stereotypes of class, ethnicity, race and gender. Varied interpretations are partially explained by the serial format: every episode re-frames characters, their motivations and histories by using changing narrative perspectives and contradictory flashbacks.The constant adjustment of representations emphasizes also the unruliness of the characters. In this series, being a woman has no fixed meanings. The main characters move past the gendered norms and challenge existing gender roles, for example by welcoming criminality into the womanhood. Additionally, intimate imaginings of everyday bodily functions, varied sexualities, and bodies of different shapes, races and ages redefine idealized femininity in American popular culture.In this article, I analyze from feminist and intersectional perspective how the serial format of Netflix affects the representations and narration of women in Orange is the New Black. I will bring forward the narrative solutions that imagine women who at the same time are identifiable and challenge existing gender practices by breaking down the expectations for socially desired behavior.

You Ain’t No Punk, You Punk

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel S. Traber
Keyword(s):  
Social Control ◽  
Definition Of

Punk is unique in that it is the only subculture in which the absence of signifiers of the style and mindset can be twisted into actually representing the style and mindset: when a person says, “You don’t look punk,” the instant retort is “Well, isn’t that actually punk?” This opens an opportunity to reconsider punk’s semiotics, born from a postmodern sensibility, to see how well its signifiers “float.” The essay examines the phenomenon through the concept of doxa, the ideas and beliefs that become “taken for granted” in a community to then function as a tool of social control. A recent example of this is found in the anger expressed within the punk fan community concerning alt-right Trump supporters eagerly touting themselves as the “new punk.” The issue of deploying a closed definition of punk can then be extended to questioning systems of authenticity and ontology in relation to identity as a whole.

World Order or World Control?

1985 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 588-610
Author(s):  
Jan Marejko
Keyword(s):  
Social Control ◽  
World Order ◽  
Social Engineering ◽  
Political Order ◽  
Middle Ground ◽  
Political Ideas ◽  
Cosmic Order ◽  
Control Order ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Universe

Political ideas today are different manifestations of a common paradigm which postulates a disenchanted universe allowing no middle ground between piecemeal social engineering and revolutionary transformation. We need a new definition of political order as opposed to disenchanted social control. Order consists of a harmony of autonomous parts while control is something imposed from outside. Control over a polity requires that the cosmos be stripped of symbols (disenchantment). Political order, by contrast, is always a reflection of cosmic order. If the universe is disenchanted, political power is arbitrary. There can be freedom only when control over the symbols of legitimacy is impossible.

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