Sunday, November 18, 2012

Annotated Bibliography

Ashe, Fidelma. The New Politics of Masculinity: Men, Power and Resistance. London: Routledge, 2007. Print.
Fidelma Ashe is a current instructor of at the University of Ulster where she teachers Polical Ideologies, Political Theory and Political Identities, and American Politics. She has written a number of published works on politics and gender roles and got her BSSc at Belfast University followed by her PHD. In this book she outlines the issues surrounding men and masculinity with respect to the political effects of feminism in the new world. This work is meant to explain how the new politics of masculinity is rooted in the claim that the social, political and economic conditions of capitalist societies have " exerted pressure on men's traditional roles and identities, producing a generation of men less secure than their fathers were about their place and function in society"(1). Meant for people seeking an explanation to how and why this apparent decline in men's confidence in society is being manifested. This is relevant to my topic because it outlines the limitations created for the oppoiste sex, by the opposite sex. It illuminates a question where the answer is in the question itself.

Hanlon, Rachel L. "India's Views on Gender Roles." Asian Culture (2007): n. pag. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://www.helium.com/items/1014741-indias-views-on-gender-roles?page=2>.
Rachel Hanlon is a mother of three, winner of multiple awards in jounralism and an avid reader. She has written multiple articles and provides a healthy perspective from an educated consumer. In this article she explains how India's culture and religion have created a rather oppressive world for women where they have limited resources to education, healthcare and individualism. She writes "Indian women usually suffer from a low social status compared to men and are sometimes treated negatively. But on the other hand women are revered in Hindu practices with many ceremonies dedicated to them, but Indian society and laws still fail to treat women with equal rights as men" (1). This will give an inside look on the effects of masculinity in other cultures. Not only through the obvious inequality that is seeded within the culture but how this inequality effects the society as a whole. This work differs from my other citations because of its specificity to India and women's rights.

Louie, Kam. Theorising Chinese Masculinity: Society and Gender in China. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002. Print.
Professor Kam Louie was Chair Professor of Chinese Studies at Queensland University and has written multiple books on Chinese culture. In this piece she outlines the definitions of masculinity through our the Chinese culture past and present. Her most important note is that about the dichotomy of wen and wu which is the scholar and the martial artist and how their roles of masculinty differ in some aspects but are congruent in other and how this affects the culture as a whole. She notes " Chinese masculinity, it will be shown, can be theorised as comprising both wen and wu so that  cholar is considered to be no less masculine than a soldier" (11). This gives a general understanding of the Chinese culture and the categorization of men in society, ranks held and honor given. Knowing that, this article will allow me to outline how a different culture gives precedence to certain traits and skills and how that affects the women of the culture. This differs from my other articles because it takes a look at masculinity from a completely different lens from that of India and North America which will allow me to elaborate on the differences and similarities between cultures.

No comments:

Post a Comment