The cultural constitution of masculine identity among Peruvian urban middle class men

340 Pages·1996·11.5 MB·English

by  Fuller Osores, Norma J

THE CULTURAL CONSTITUTION OF MASCULINE IDENTITY AMONG
PERUVIAN URBAN MIDDLE CLASS MEN
By
NORMA FULLER
A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
1996
UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDALIBRARIES
Copyright 1996
by
Norma Fuller
To my son, Esteban
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The forty men interviewed for this research project
cooperated out of a will to contribute to a better
understanding of masculine identity. I am enormously
grateful to them and hope that this work reflects the
quality and richness of their narratives. My sister, Jessica
Fuller, assumed the daily routine of recording the soap
operas used in this research. Ernesto v&squez del Aguila
carried out and transcribed part of the interviews, gathered
some statistical information and added the "masculine touch"
to my reflections. Lucy Pickering edited my English.
My son, Esteban, has been a source of gaiety and
affection during the often painful process of putting my
scattered ideas together. My mother, Norma Osores has, been
an invaluable material, logistic and emotional support. When
this project began, my nephew, Jorge Fuller, died in an
tragic accident. His early death was a constant motif of
reflection on the difficult path of becoming a "true man."
Anthony Oliver-Smith has been both, a chair and a
sympathetic adviser, not only on academic matters, but also
in the task of being a single mother coping with graduate
studies in a foreign country. This project has received
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partial support from the Ford Foundation and from the
Catholic University of Peru.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv
LIST OF TABLES vii
ABSTRACT viii
INTRODUCTION 1
REVIEW OF LITERATURE 27
Masculine Gender Identity 31
The Mediterranean Area 36
Latin American Identity and The Machismo Complex 42
. .
THE PERUVIAN MIDDLE CLASSES 59
Historic Background 63
Ethos: La Gente Decente 81
World view: A Transitional Society 88
The Breakdown of The Traditional Order 94
PRIMARY SOCIALIZATION 100
RepresTheentaFtaitohnerofFigFuarmeily and Parental Figures . . 110025
The Mother 119
Messages of Masculinity Received at Home 127
Differences in Socialization by Gender 132
CShiiblldirngenSGoalmiedsarity and Gender Hierarchies . . 113326
SECONDARY SOCIALIZATION: THE PATH TO ADULTHOOD .... 149
The Peer Group 153
The School 160
Gender Relations at the School 162
PlaceGeofndeSrtudRye:latTihoensTraatnsittheionPlatcoeAdofultShtouoddy . . . 116639
Work: A Source of Recognition . . . 170
Gender Relations at the Work place 180
The Public Dimension: The Noblest Side of Manhood 184
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VI
DISCOURSES OF MASCULINITY AND GENDER RELATIONS .... 190
Soap Opera Analysis: The Have and the Have-not
(Los de Arriba y los de Abajo) 192
Synthesis and Code of Actions 194
Narrative Analysis 200
Characters Analysis 202
Masculine Issues 217
Codes of Reference 222
Miniseries Analysis: The Avenger Angel (El Angel
Vengador) 224
Code of Actions 225
Narrative Analysis 226
Characters Analysis 229
Codes of Reference 234
THE SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS; SEX, LOVE MARRIAGE
AND PATERNITY 245
Love, Seduction and Sex 247
Courtship 247
Seduction: the Enactment of Class,
Race and Gender Hierarchies 248
Friendship and Mixed Spaces 253
The Prostitute: Sexual Initiation 258
Homosexuality: The Last Border of Masculinity 264
Marriage: To Love, Honor and Command 270
Paternity: Love and Responsibility 285
CONCLUSIONS 300
APPENDIX 311
LIST OF REFERENCES 316
STATISTICAL DATA SOURCES 324
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH . 325
LIST OF TABLES
page
1 Population of the 25-35 Age Group 146
2 Population of the 40-55 Age Group 147
3 Demographic Characteristics of the Population . 148
4 Employment of the Population 149
5 Comparative Educational Levels of the Population 189
6 Representation of the Division of Labor by gender 189
7 Membership in organizations 189
8 Rating of the Soap_opera: The Have and the
9 RatiHnagvse-nooftthLeosMidneisAerrriiebsa ytheloAsvednegeAbrajAon)gel .(El. . 241
Angel Vengador) 244
10 Representations of Virginity 296
11 Level of Participation in Couple Relationship 297
.
12 Type of Partner at First Sexual Act 298
13 Reasons to go to the Brothel 298
14 Experience with Prostitutes 298
Division of Labor at Home among the Interviewees
and their Parents 299
viii
Abstract of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School
of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
THE CULTURAL CONSTITUTION OF MASCULINE GENDER IDENTITY AMONG
PERUVIAN URBAN MIDDLE CLASS MEN
By
Norma Fuller
August, 1996
Chairperson: Anthony Oliver-Smith
Major Department: Anthropology
This dissertation investigates the discourses and
representations of masculinity characteristic of middle
class Peruvian urban culture. It focuses in how two
generations of men, living in the city of Lima, constitute
their gender identity in the different moments of their life
cycle, in the different social spaces in which they interact
and through the different relationships in which they are
expected or supposed to act as men. The representations of
masculinity have been analyzed through a qualitative study
based on 40 interviews carried out among middle class urban
men. The discourse analysis has been undertaken through the
deconstruction of the messages of masculinity and gender
relations transmitted through the most important media, the
television, specifically, through two locally produced
television programs.
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The guiding question is how masculine identity responds
to a context in which, though males hold the monopoly of
powers in the country's economic and political life and the
authority within the family, the roles and qualities
traditionally ascribed to them have lost legitimacy due to
the democratization of values, to changes in women's status
and to changing discourses of masculinity and gender
relations
The conclusion of this work is that the representations
of masculinity of the population studied and the discourses
transmitted through the media have shifted toward a more
egalitarian view of gender relations. The public sphere
(work and politics) is being redefined to give room to
women's participation. These changes are related to major
trends in social life toward an increasing democratization
of mores. However, males perceive themselves as the owners
of the public space and as holding the authority within the
family. Therefore, there is a significant gap between the
legitimate representations, the discourses transmitted
through the media and the practices of this population.