From Masculinity To Masculinities: A Narrative Study Of Chinese Young Adult Daughters And Sons’ Linguistic Construction Of Father’s Masculine Image

Over the past decades, gender studies have accumulated quite an amount of literature on masculinity. And the discrepancies between terms like “masculinity” and“masculinities” are getting clearer. The term “masculinity” that essentializes the characters of men and imposes a false unity on the fluid and contradictory reality is a flawed concept. Its oversimplified description of male identity has been wildly criticized. On the contrary, multiple masculinity or “masculinities” constructed in situated social-cultural context gains increasing academic attention. However, the rigid unity of masculinity is deeply rooted, especially in China, where conducts of man and women prescribed by Confucianism, and the Taoist idea of Yin Yang and Qian Kun(the heaven and the earth) have influenced the shaping of masculine ideal for thousands of years.In such social cultural context, Chinese young adult daughters and sons have been infused with prescribed masculine ideal throughout their growing process.However, they also witnessed and personally experienced the father’s masculinity(ies)over time. The contrast between static stereotype and dynamic perception of is bound to pose confusion to young adult offspring, and their perception of the dynamicity and diversity of masculinities is hence hindered. Based on such observation, the present study adopts a linguistic perspective to look into the typical masculine image: fathers,so as to explore how young adult daughters’ and sons’ chronically percept and construct of father’s masculine image in specific social-cultural context, as well as how is(are) father’s masculinity(ies) constructed in different stages responded or evaluated by Chinese young adult daughters and sons.The present study adopts Halliday’s ergative analysis and Halliday’s relational process to analyze narrative data. First, through Halliday’s ergative analysis we will see how father’s agency is positioned by the young adult offspring. That is to say,what father image(images) is(are) constructed by the offspring. Second, Halliday’sergative analysis will also reveal the offspring’s agency in constructing father’s masculinity(ies), and together with Halliday’s relational process we will see how father’s masculinity(ies) is(are) evaluated by young adult offspring over time.Through such analysis, the present study aims to answer the following research questions:First, how is(are) masculinity(ies) of the father constructed though narratives provided by young adult daughters and sons respectively in Chinese social cultural context?Second, what implications does the present study have on gender perception in Chinese social cultural context?The major findings are: First, Chinese young adult daughters and sons’ narrative construction of father’s masculinity(ies)(especially masculinity) have certain overlaps as well as differences. Second, from the data analysis, it can be tentatively concluded that young adult sons seem to be more attached to masculinity prescribed in master narrative, while young adult daughters pay more attention to masculinities displayed in more situated/specific context. Such difference further confirms the observation obtained from data analysis: Young adult daughters seem to process the diversity and dynamism of father’s masculinities better than young adult male offspring. Third,Chinese young adult daughters and sons’ construction of father’s masculinity in the early stage was greatly constrained by masculinity prescribed in the Chinese traditional culture. Fourth, the present study further illustrates that masculinities perceived in specific social cultural context contribute more to the understanding of the diversity and dynamism of masculinities.As implications for gender perception in Chinese social cultural context, the present study suggests first, master narrative such as traditional Chinese culture on man and hegemonic masculinity greatly constrain the perception of the dynamicity and diversity of masculinities. Second,in Chinese social cultural context, failing to understand the dynamicity and diversity of father’s masculinity may pose certain confusion and struggle to the Chinese young adult offspring. Finally, to view father’s masculinities as a continually changing identity in specific socio-cultural contextmay contribute to the sound development of both fathers and young adult offspring.