Visualizing Masculinities
The Gala, Hegemony, and Mesopotamian Iconography
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4587109 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ilan Peled (0000-0002-2335-662X, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 79 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 158-165 |
| Publication date | 2016-09-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Near Eastern Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1094-2076 • E-ISSN: 1557-5594 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.5615/neareastarch.79.3.0158 |
| OpenAlex | W2518814356 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 9 |
This article examines the gender image of the Mesopotamian cult attendant known as gala (Sumerian) / kalû (Akkadian) against the background of the theory of hegemonic masculinity, putting an emphasis on visual representations as sources of information. The gala/kalû was a performer in funerals, and later a professional lamenter in the cult of Inanna/Ištar. His gender identity has long been considered to have possessed ambiguous elements: effeminate, homoerotic, and the like. A more nuanced approach is offered here, whereby the gala/kalû's gender image is analyzed as a social construct of a non-hegemonic type of masculinity. To this end, visual representations are considered in addition to textual evidence
Aesthetics · Ancient history · Art · Cult · Hegemonic masculinity · Hegemony · Iconography · Linguistics · Literature · Masculinity · Performing arts · Political science · Politics · Semiotics · Sociology · Sumerian · Visual arts · Ancient Near East History · Gender Studies · Gender Studies in Language · Historical and Literary Studies · History · Law · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.38 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2018 - 2024 (7) |
| Highly cited | No |