My Thesis Project
Mood:  chatty
Hi there, Welcome to my humble web page,I have many interests but on this page I plan to discuss my academic interests in certain subjects.I'm a graduate student who is planning a project that will combine and synthesize three different disciplines to create a multifaceted thesis.My thesis is about masculinity and in particular its construction within the individual and in the outer world.So, in other words, I want to find out what makes a man because I believe Simone de Beauvoir famous epigram "One is not born a Woman"could also be applied to men and you could say "One is not born a man either",these are concepts of identity that are learned not completely natural evolutions of a self.Femininity is and continues to be studied,interrogated,and redefined by many thinkers.Masculinity has certainly undergone this kind of critical investigation but I believe there is always room for more and it needs to be even more intense.The dominant modes of thought are always trying to strictly define the concept and performance of masculinity.This has very often led to a limited and limiting set of ideas about gender,sex, and sexuality.I think the media,societal institutions,and government hold these limited ideas and enforcing them on the individual.I'm in agreement with much of Michel Foucault's thinking about Western society.I think its quite true that many decisions one makes in their every day life can be traced back to a system of power which regulates bodies and even thoughts to a degree.This does not mean people are ultimately powerless because within systems of power there can be a resistance.Now bearing that in mind,I'll explain more about what I would like to do with this project.I would like to bring together the insights of psychoanalysis,queer theory,and anthropology to understand masculinity.I would like to interview transsexual and transgendered men about their individual conceptions of masculinity throughout their transition and their life in general.I think they may have an insight into what masculinity in North America is about.I do not want pathologize anyone or claim to be an expert on masculinity in any form.I will continually remind myself and others of my location/subject position .I think forgetting that or letting it slip to the sidelines is not consistent with my beliefs about the importance of knowing one's place in systems of power.I would like to add something helpful to the academic investigation of masculinity that opens up discussions.I think masculinity is important right now because so many terrible events are occurring around the globe because of overly simplistic understandings of what men are and what their role is in the working world,in families,relationships,friendships,and in life in general.Send me an email if any of this interests you and if you'd like to offer your perspective.I'd love to hear from all kinds of people about all of this. Toodles,