Of Embodiment and Ether: Understanding the Complexity of Relationships in American Masculine Culture

• In Event: 29.090 - Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: 29.090-19 - Methodological Considerations in Ethnographic Practice

Abstract

In this research, I use autoethnographic and participatory visual methods to interrogate normative and oppressive masculine precepts, stereotypes, and hierarchies. A major theme that has emerged in this research is the importance of relationships to boys and men in the counter-performance of hegemonic masculinity. In this work I discuss the research findings in the context of research methods emphasizing inter-textuality that encompasses lived experience rendered as written text and visual imagery. This work discusses how digital technology can facilitate connecting with others as a method of participatory research, which complicates essentialized master narratives by creating spaces to explore ambiguity and paradox.

Author

• Jim Burns, Florida International University