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Mourning Mayberry

Guns, Masculinity, and Socioeconomic Decline

Bibliographic Data

ID2367765
AuthorsJennifer Carlson (0009-0003-6668-8565)
Year2015
Volume29
Issue3
Pages386-409
Publication date2015-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGender & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0891-2432 • E-ISSN: 1552-3977
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0891243214554799
OpenAlexW1859985561
LanguageEN
Citations received69
References cited32

This study uses in-depth interviews and participant observation with gun carriers in Michigan to examine how socioeconomic decline shapes the appropriation of guns by men of diverse class and race backgrounds. Gun carriers nostalgically referenced the decline of Mayberry America-a version of America characterized by the stable employment of male breadwinners and low crime rates. While men of color and poor and working-class men bear the material brunt of these transformations, this narrative of decline impacts how both privileged and marginalized men think of themselves as men because of the ideological centrality of breadwinning to American masculinity. Using Young's (2003) 'masculine protectionism' framework, I argue that against this backdrop of decline, men use guns not simply to instrumentally address the threat of crime but also to negotiate their own position within a context of socioeconomic decline by emphasizing their role as protector

Appropriation · Criminology · Domestic violence · Femicide · Geography · Ideology · Masculinity · Narrative · Poison control · Political science · Politics · Population · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Suicide prevention · Crime, Deviance, and Social Control · Demography · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Gun Ownership and Violence Research

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Unique citing works69
Citations per year6,27
Citation span2015 - 2026 (12)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 67
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