| This thesis explores the discursive location of the profeminist men's discourse. The relationships posited between patriarchy, masculinities, and sexual relations within the discourse are examined, including theorizations of same- and opposite-sex relations and masturbation. The implications of theorizing sexual relations solely in terms of their perceived relation to structural gender inequality are highlighted, particularly with regards to the tendency within the discourse to prescribe processes of ethical self-reformation. Problematizations of men and the means through which men are induced to recognize and change their sexual practices are discussed in terms of opportunities to resist structural oppressions and subjectivizing practices within the discourse. Foucault's work on governmentality, power, sexuality and the self, along with contemporary work on moral regulation, provide the theoretical foundations for this study. It is my, contention that the discourse reifies gender and wrongly equates resistance with standardizing the identities and practices of men. |
