Masculinity as plasticity: exploring masculinity in times of mediatization and biomedicalization
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The article presents and engages with key conceptual developments within men and masculinity studies, while also highlighting queer and trans theoretical critiques of assumptions that position masculinity as inherently tied to cis male identity. The prevalent tendency to analyze cis and trans masculinities as separate and distinct identities is, as argued, unproductive. Conceiving masculinity through the lens of plasticity instead enables both a broader and more nuanced understanding—one that neither privileges cisgender heterosexual men nor marginalizes or ghettoizes trans men. Rethinking masculinity as plasticity thus challenges traditional conceptions of gender as biologically fixed, emphasizing the physical and psychological adaptability of masculine identities. As proposed, masculinity should be understood as inherently moldable—shaped by cultural, technological, and historical forces, both in terms of gender identity and bodily materiality.
Source: Journal of Gender Studies
Authors: Tobias Raun, Michael Nebeling Petersen
Institutions: Roskilde University, University of Copenhagen
Language: English
Topic: Gender and Feminist Studies
Subfield: Gender Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4409559390