License to BBQ: A qualitative study of men's identity construction through BBQ'ing
Author
Green, Rebecca
Term
10. term
Publication year
2013
Pages
52
Abstract
I hverdagen sorterer vi ofte, uden at tænke over det, mennesker, ting og handlinger som enten “maskuline” eller “feminine”. Selvom traditionelle kønsroller bliver mere flydende—flere mænd tager del i børnepasning, rengøring og madlavning—opfattes grill (BBQ) stadig ofte som maskulint. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan grillning bidrager til at forme mænds maskuline identitet. Studiet bygger på tværkulturelle interviews og ustrukturerede observationer—samtaler med mænd fra forskellige kulturelle sammenhænge og åbne feltobservationer—for at få en dybere forståelse. Resultaterne peger på, at grillen fungerer som en scene, hvor mænd udøver hegemonisk maskulinitet, dvs. en dominerende, idealiseret forestilling om det at være mand. I denne ramme skubbes elementer kodet som feminine til side, mens markører som håndtering og opbygning af udstyr, kød, øl, konkurrence og det at være udendørs bruges til at vise maskulinitet.
In daily life, we often sort people, objects, and activities into “masculine” or “feminine.” Even as traditional roles blur—with more men sharing childcare, cleaning, and cooking—barbecue (BBQ) is still widely seen as masculine. This thesis explores how BBQ helps construct men’s masculine identity. The study uses cross-cultural interviews and unstructured observations—conversations with men from different cultural contexts and open-ended field notes—to gain deeper insight. The findings suggest that BBQ works as a stage where men perform hegemonic masculinity, a dominant, idealized model of being a man. In this setting, elements coded as feminine are pushed aside, while markers such as handling and building equipment, meat, beer, competition, and being outdoors are used to display masculinity.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
Keywords
BBQ ; Masculinity ; Men ; Gender ; cooking ; identity ; barbeque ; constructivism ; food
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