The Concept of Hegemonic Masculinity in the Theory of Raewyn Connell: From the XX to the XXI century

This article explores the development of the concept of hegemonic masculinity in the theory of well-known Australian sociologist Raewyn Connell. The author analyzes the transformation of some aspects of the classic definition for the hegemonic masculinity concept in the context of the new social and political situation of 21st century society. The first part of the article is devoted to the explication of the main elements of the classic way to formulate the question on the nature and the meaning of masculinity. The author of this article refers to such concepts as “hegemony”, “gender order”, “gender regimes”, “gender structure”, “gender composition”. In the second part of the article, the problematic moments of the classic definition for the concept of hegemonic masculinity, associated with reductionist and essentialist methods of interpretation, are specified. From Raewyn Connell’s perspective, the concept of hegemonic masculinity is in need of revision when it comes to four main aspects: the nature of the gender hierarchy, the geography of masculinity configurations, the process of social embodiment and the dynamics of masculinity. A critical rethinking of the basic elements of the concept of hegemonic masculinity becomes especially relevant in the 21st century due to the specifics of the current political situation, which actualizes the tendency for gender reaction in politics and culture. The third part of the article emphasizes the ontological significance of the hegemonic masculinity concept, which is transformed in the theory of Raewyn Connell into the issue of a complex and mobile way for mankind’s existence, its existential efficiency, as well as a possible alternative path for the development of history itself. The article concludes that today the concept of hegemonic masculinity is the primary conceptual basis, which has sufficient complexity and, at the same time, sufficient semantic unity in order to effectively reveal the functioning of extremely vital mechanisms of gender inequality.