University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Educational Administration: Theses, Dissertations, Educational Administration, Department of and Student Research 7-2015 Intersecting Identities: Navigating the Relationship Between Masculine Performativity and Feminist Ideology Zachary Wagner Pace University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cehsedaddiss Part of the Higher Education Administration Commons Pace, Zachary Wagner, "Intersecting Identities: Navigating the Relationship Between Masculine Performativity and Feminist Ideology" (2015). Educational Administration: Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research. 244. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cehsedaddiss/244 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Educational Administration, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 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INTERSECTING IDENTITIES: NAVIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MASCULINE PERFORMATIVITY AND FEMINIST IDEOLOGY by Zachary Pace A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts Major: Educational Administration Under the Supervision of Professor Elizabeth Niehaus Lincoln, Nebraska July, 2015 INTERSECTING IDENTITIES: NAVIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MASCULINE PERFORMATIVITY AND FEMINIST IDEOLOGY Zachary Pace, M.A. University of Nebraska, 2015 Adviser: Elizabeth Niehaus As masculinities scholarship continues to explore how masculinity develops and how differing masculinities contribute to the lived experiences of masculine-identified subjects, it is important to understand how masculinity also intersects with other, salient identities for subjects. Literature related to masculine gender performance, liberatory feminist theory, and student development theory provide important lenses in approaching the topic of masculine intersectionality, but have not otherwise been synthesized to illuminate how masculine-identified students navigate intersectionality with feminism and feminist scholarship. This qualitative case study explored how one participant experienced and made meaning of zir masculine and feminist identities in the varying spaces on campus at Midwest Private University (MPU). MPU is a four-year private, liberal arts institution located in the Midwest region of the United States. Qualitative interviews were conducted utilizing three semi-structured interviews with one participant over the course of one academic week via Skype. Intermittent journal activities were completed by the participant between interviews and informed the semi-structured interviews. Overall findings indicate the participant’s experience making meaning of zir gender is consistent with existing models of masculinity development, and illuminated implications for practice when serving masculine-identified students as they develop as feminists and activists. Directions for future research are also suggested. Acknowledgments To my brave and inspiring participant whose profound experiences are the base for this study, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have been so fortunate to work with you and to tell your story. You inspire me to be a better ally, feminist, and person. I wish you all of the best as you continue to grow and affect positive change in the world around you. To Dr. Beth Niehaus, your seemingly limitless patience and extensive comments have helped me immensely in producing this study. It was you who first told me writing was a process, not a product, and while I agree with this sentiment the current product would not exist without your support. Thank you for everything. To Dr. Beth Younger, your wisdom and advice has been invaluable. Thank you for your mentorship and support as I have pursued graduate school. Thank you for taking a chance on me, and allowing me to learn about feminism, Dick Cheney, and Angie’s knife. I would not be the learner and feminist that I am without your exceptional teaching and guidance. To my UNL Family who have supported me, challenged me, and helped me blow off steam, thank you for always being a phone call, SnapChat, or FaceTime away. Samberg, Brian, PJ, Brock, Kim, Shannon, Quint, Amy, and Molly: I cannot imagine what this experience would have been like without sharing it with each of you. As we go our separate ways we will always have the memories we made here. Finally, to my parents, who first taught me it was okay to want to know more and to ask questions—and then had the distinct pleasure of attempting to provide answers. I am so fortunate to have you in my corner, always rooting for me and confident I will succeed. This has been a long time coming, and I promise I am done with school for a while. i Table of Contents Chapter 1—Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 Purpose Statement and Research Questions ........................................................ 4 Research Design .................................................................................................. 4 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................. 5 Delimitations ....................................................................................................... 7 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 2—Literature Review ................................................................................... 8 Value of Men’s Voices and Experiences ............................................................ 9 Masculinity or Manhood Acts as Potentially Damaging to Men ........................ 16 Masculinity or Manhood Acts as Potentially Damaging to Women ................... 20 Masculinity as a Performative Experience for Men ............................................ 23 Masculinity as a Developmental Experience ....................................................... 26 Summary ........................................................................................................... 29 Chapter 3—Title ........................................................................................................ 30 Epistemology ....................................................................................................... 32 Research Approach .............................................................................................. 32 Research Site ....................................................................................................... 33 Participant ........................................................................................................... 34 Data Collection .................................................................................................... 34 Document analysis ......................................................................................... 35 Semi-structured interviews ............................................................................ 35 Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 36 ii Trustworthiness ................................................................................................... 37 Member checking .......................................................................................... 37 Triangulation ................................................................................................. 37 Rich and thick description ............................................................................. 37 Ethics ........................................................................................................... 38 Limitations ........................................................................................................... 38 Researcher Experience and Reflexivity ............................................................... 39 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 40 Chapter 4—Findings .................................................................................................. 41 Introduction to Participant ................................................................................... 41 Overview of Themes ........................................................................................... 43 Theme I: Gender and Feminism as Constructed Ideas ........................................ 45 People are taught gender ................................................................................ 45 Gender is a regulated idea ............................................................................. 46 Feminism is a learned concept ....................................................................... 47 Theme II: Bodily Materiality as a Contributing Factor to Assumptions ............. 47 Presence of the male penis ............................................................................. 48 Absence of the female uterus ......................................................................... 48 Assumptions about sexual orientation ........................................................... 49 Theme