A discourse of disparagement

Abstract

This article explores the construction and maintenance of hegemonic masculinity in the classroom through discussion and analysis of boys’ talk about girls in school. Key in this process is the marking of distance between masculinity and femininity, and boys’ talk in this context is representative of a deeply entrenched discourse of disparagement which positions femininity as a subordinated ‘other’. Using examples from field research the article explores how boys strive to position themselves in opposition to femininity and in relation to the hegemonic norms which police and regulate their behaviour in the group context. There is specific focus on how boys disparage girls’ gendered practices against a legitimizing backdrop of the public discourse of a ‘crisis for masculinity’. The article documents the circular and self-perpetuating relationship between the continuing prevalence of a widely shared expression of hegemonic masculinity, boys’ disparaging talk about girls, and the positioning of boys as educationally disadvantaged subjects.