Making Modern Gentlemen A Critical Ethnography of Health and Physical Education in an Elite Boys’ School A thesis submitted to fulfil requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Sydney School of Education and Social Work Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences The University of Sydney by Rachel Ann O’Brien 2019 This is to certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the content of this thesis is my own work. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or other purposes. I certify that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work and that all the assistance received in preparing this thesis and sources have been acknowledged. Rachel Ann O’Brien June 30, 2019 i Abstract This thesis explores the multiple and complex ways that masculinities are constructed within an elite boys’ school in Sydney, Australia. Elite boys’ schools in Australia were founded on the model of British Public Schooling, where a focus on educating the ‘whole man’ included sport and physical education as a key pillar. Health and physical education subjects and sport remain an active site in the construction and reconstruction of masculinities in many of these schools. Based on a 6-month critical ethnography in one school, this thesis explores how two groups of 15 and 16 year olds and their teachers engage with and respond to curriculum aimed at ‘softening’ or ‘reshaping’ elite schools’ masculine traditions. The thesis contributes to men and masculinities studies and the field of health and physical education, in particular knowledge about masculinities and sexualities education. It does this through a rich, in-depth account of adolescent boys’ experiences of ‘becoming men’ in an elite school context. In addition, the thesis explores the relatively recent inclusion of discussions of masculinity, sexuality, and gender equality in HPE curriculum in elite boys’ schools and provides a platform for capturing how teachers engage with the possibilities of enacting a critical pedagogy of masculinities and sexualities education. The thesis demonstrates how a critical ethnographic methodology can engage young people and teachers in opportunities to make visible routine practices of masculinity, ii such as the continued privileging of particular ideal masculinities: the businessman, the gentleman and the sportsman. Overall, the thesis finds that this elite school, despite its efforts to disrupt masculine traditions, engaged in a project of ‘gentrifying masculinities’ through a ‘curriculum of manhood’ reminiscent of the historical ‘whole man’ of elite boys’ education. iii Acknowledgements Writing this thesis has been anything but an individual project. As I write these acknowledgements, I understand the impossibility of recognising all who have guided, encouraged, and inspired me on this journey. So, to those I have acknowledged and those I haven’t, thank you. I look forward to celebrating together. First, I wish to acknowledge my supervisors for their enormous work and dedication to this project. Thank you to Professor Susan Goodwin for your encouragement, for nurturing and stretching my ideas, and for your enthusiasm and belief in this work. Thanks to Doctor Kate Russell for guiding me at the inception of this project and for helping me to develop my theoretical thinking. To my PhD teammates who kept me sane during what is, arguably, not a team sport at all. To my dear friends Becki, Anita and Claire, thank you for spurring me on, for generously sharing ideas, for debating life directions, and for celebrating small (and big) victories. To my wonderful family, Samuel and Lindsay, thank you for your love and encouragement, for picking up the pieces (and laundry) when I couldn’t juggle them all, and for believing in me even if you had no idea what I was doing. To my parents, who have always encouraged my love of education, thank you for your listening ear and kind words and for always reminding me to take things one step at a time. Thank you to my dear “nanny family” who opened their home and hearts to me and gave me my first insight into elite school life. iv To the wonderful teachers and students who made this research possible, thank you! Thank you for opening up your space and your practice, for sharing your ideas, and for welcoming me more warmly than I could have hoped for. You reminded me that, amongst the frustrations and disappointments, incredible things can happen in school. All glory be to Christ. v Contributions I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Ruth McHugh who edited this thesis and Lea Hazelton who transcribed data from research conversations and interviews. Authorship This thesis contains material previously published. A version of Chapter Three of this thesis is published as: O'Brien, R. A. (2019). 'Who's that girl sitting with the boys?': Negotiating researcher identity in fieldwork with adolescent boys. Sport, Education and Society, Online. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2018.1543653 I was the first and only author of this paper. vi Table of Contents CHAPTER ONE- INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 1 OVERVIEW OF THE THESIS ............................................................................................ 10 CHAPTER TWO- MAKING MEN: MASCULINITY, ELITE SCHOOLING, AND HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION .................................................. 12 THEORISING MASCULINITIES IN SCHOOLS .................................................................... 13 Multiple masculinities .......................................................................................... 15 Gender hierarchy ................................................................................................. 16 Gender and sexuality ........................................................................................... 21 Masculine embodiment ........................................................................................ 22 Schools and the construction of masculinity ........................................................ 25 Boys’ education in Australian schools ................................................................. 29 WHY STUDY BOYS IN ‘ELITE’ SCHOOLS? ..................................................................... 32 Social class and masculinities.............................................................................. 34 Studying ‘up’ ........................................................................................................ 36 Elite education ..................................................................................................... 37 Elite boys’ schooling in Australia ........................................................................ 39 WHY FOCUS ON SPORT, HEALTH, AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION? ................................... 42 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 49 CHAPTER THREE- METHOD AND METHODOLOGY ................................... 51 APPROACH TO RESEARCH ............................................................................................. 52 A STUDY OF BOYS IN SCHOOL ...................................................................................... 54 Doing and writing research: The thesis ............................................................... 58 The setting ............................................................................................................ 63 METHODS...................................................................................................................... 67 Class time and field notes .................................................................................... 68 Research conversations........................................................................................ 72 Interviews ............................................................................................................. 76 Data analysis........................................................................................................ 78 The key participants ............................................................................................. 80 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 85 vii CHAPTER FOUR- NEGOTIATING RESEARCHER IDENTITY IN FIELDWORK WITH ADOLESCENT BOYS ....................................................... 87 NEGOTIATING ENTRY.................................................................................................... 91 DEVELOPING A RESEARCHER IDENTITY ........................................................................ 93 DOING SPORT WITH BOYS ............................................................................................. 97 TALKING SEX WITH BOYS ............................................................................................. 99 DOING DEPORTMENT WITH BOYS ............................................................................... 101 BECOMING ‘ONE OF THE BOYS’? ................................................................................ 103 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 106 CHAPTER FIVE- BECOMING ‘THE KINGSTON MAN’: A CURRICULUM OF MANHOOD AT KINGSTON COLLEGE ..................................................... 109 A CURRICULUM OF MANHOOD AT KINGSTON COLLEGE ............................................. 112