Durham E-Theses Marginal Men: Men with breast cancer negotiating gender HALLS, AMY,VICTORIA How to cite: HALLS, AMY,VICTORIA (2013) Marginal Men: Men with breast cancer negotiating gender, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10711/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk Abstract Breast cancer is a global phenomenon and each year charities and organisations encourage people to become involved with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Around 50,000 women and 400 men are diagnosed in the UK each year. This research explores how men experience being a breast cancer patient, and how these are to be understood given the positioning of breast cancer as a disease of women. Breast cancer’s pink ribbon culture is ideal for exploring the relationship between gender and illness, showing the mechanisms through which men are less able to participate in this community. Bury’s concept of biographical disruption is not applicable for men diagnosed with breast cancer, as they enter a world which is fundamentally contradictory. It is appropriate to use Park’s theory of the marginal man, a man in two cultures yet not fully assimilated into either. The marginal man has a double consciousness, occupying a privileged position. This idea of marginality follows throughout the Chicago School. Star develops marginality to include objects and events, showing standards can become rigid and produce exclusion. Marginal men are able to see beyond this rigidity. Three datasets were analysed using a discourse analytical approach. Findings showed breast cancer challenges hegemonic masculinity as men are marginalised. Gendered assumptions regarding the pink ribbon and ideas of masculinity and femininity influenced the extent to which individuals became involved with this community and how this was (not) accepted by others. The split between gender and illness resulted in people seen as their gender identity first rather than their illness identity. The awareness of breast cancer is linked to hegemonic femininity and reinforces hegemonic masculinity, as institutions construct awareness, and charities see awareness as gendered. This reproduces normative assumptions about masculinity and femininity and is firmly linked with breast cancer. Recommendations for broadening this research are suggested. i Marginal Men: Men with breast cancer negotiating gender Amy Victoria Halls BA (Hons), MA A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Applied Social Sciences Durham University 2013 ii Contents Declaration .................................................................................................... vi Statement of copyright ................................................................................. vi Acknowledgements ..................................................................................... vii Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 BCAM – where do men fit in? ........................................................................ 6 How do men experience being a breast cancer patient, and how is this to be understood? ............................................................................................ 10 Outline of thesis ........................................................................................... 12 Chapter One ................................................................................................. 17 Gender, health and illness ........................................................................... 17 Introduction ................................................................................................. 17 Gender, illness and health ........................................................................... 18 Masculinity, and masculinities ..................................................................... 22 Hegemonic masculinity ................................................................................ 24 Critiques of Connell’s hegemonic masculinity ............................................. 29 Research on breast cancer in men ............................................................... 32 Hegemonic femininity .................................................................................. 39 Breast cancer as a health social movement ................................................ 41 The intersection of hegemonic masculinity and hegemonic femininity ..... 50 Chapter Two ................................................................................................. 51 Marginal men ............................................................................................... 51 Introduction and background ...................................................................... 51 Biographical disruption ................................................................................ 54 A critique of biographical disruption ........................................................... 58 Park and his work ......................................................................................... 60 The development of the Chicago School ..................................................... 62 Marginal men in the work of Park and Stonequist ...................................... 64 Star ............................................................................................................... 73 Star – on being uncommon .......................................................................... 75 Summary of conceptualisation of marginal man ......................................... 79 Chapter Three .............................................................................................. 81 Methodology................................................................................................ 81 Introduction ................................................................................................. 81 How methodological approach links with the theoretical framework ........ 82 iii Discourse analysis as an approach ............................................................... 83 Sampling....................................................................................................... 87 Interviews .................................................................................................... 87 Media sampling ............................................................................................ 90 Forums sampling .......................................................................................... 92 Data analysis ................................................................................................ 93 Interviews .................................................................................................... 93 Media analysis ............................................................................................. 96 Forum analysis ............................................................................................. 97 NVivo ............................................................................................................ 98 Triangulation ................................................................................................ 99 Reflexivity ................................................................................................... 100 Ethics .......................................................................................................... 102 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 105 Chapter Four .............................................................................................. 107 Hegemonic masculinity, and the challenge of breast cancer .................... 107 Introduction ............................................................................................... 107 The experiences of men in diagnosis and treatment ................................ 108 Ideas of masculinity ................................................................................... 116 Masculinity in a woman’s world? .............................................................. 116 Masculinity and the male body.................................................................. 123 Masculinity and breast cancer: challenging individuals, or a community?128 Masculinity and the dominance of women ............................................... 131 The definitions of masculinity/ies .............................................................. 136 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 140 Chapter Five ..............................................................................................