(Un)Knowing the Rules of the Game

Young Men's Precarious Talk About 'Territory Marking' in Rural Aotearoa/New Zealand

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2291307
AutoresChristina Vogel (0000-0002-3897-3786), Christina Vogels (0000-0002-9230-9034, School of Communication Studies Auckland University of Technology, autor de correspondencia)
Año2020
Volumen85
Número1
Páginas190-212
Fecha de publicación2020-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaRural Sociology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0036-0112 • E-ISSN: 1549-0831
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/ruso.12277
OpenAlexW2944791488
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas59

Research strongly suggests that the social conditions characteristic of rural communities impact gendered experiences of and beliefs about (hetero)romantic relationships. Largely, this is argued because of the privileging of heteronormative-gendered roles within rural areas. What also is argued is that this privileging of heteronormativity correlates with the statistically higher rates of oppressive strategies that men are able to use to control their romantic partners. This article contributes to this body of work by analyzing how younger men from a rural high school in Aotearoa/New Zealand talked about the practice of 'territory marking,' which involves men using physical violence against one another over women. What was most striking about their talk was how they spoke about this practice, as it was littered with a range of precarious elements. This meant that while it appeared cogent in places, it was also decidedly unknowing, fanciful, and ambiguous. This article will consider what this precarious talk says about how these young men cultivated a rural habitus, motivating them to articulate how idealized masculine bodies should function within public rural spaces. It will also be discussed how the precarious features of their talk signal how such idealized versions of masculinity could be destabilized

Aotearoa · Cultural capital · Habitus · Heteronormativity · Human sexuality · Late modernity · Masculinity · Political science · Romance · Rural area · Rurality · Social science · Sociology · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Law · Psychology · Rural development and sustainability · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics