Masculinity and social class, tradition and change: the production of ‘young Christian gentlemen’ at an elite Australian boys’ school

Becoming accomplished: concerted cultivation among privately educated young women1

“…In recent years, a range of studies reporting on different aspects of private education have appeared. Research has examined how three Scottish schools are discursively constructed in web-based representations (Forbes and Weiner 2008) and has considered the ways in which Australian schools produce specific femininities or masculinities (Gottschall et al 2010;Proctor 2011). The role sports play in the branding of Scottish independent schools (Horne et al 2011) has also been focused upon.…”

A new generation of business masculinity? Privileged high school boys in a gender egalitarian context

“…Again, while interpersonal violence in general is more prominent among men than women (DeKeseredy and Schwartz 2005) it is noticeably prominent in the language of business, evident in how it helps create a gender-biased and aggressive context, visible through metaphors of war and aggression (Koller 2004). Both Poynting and Donaldson (2005) and Proctor (2011) describe boys in boarding schools as being inducted into the ultra-competitive culture of the ruling-class and argue that when privileged boys learn to construct ruling class masculinities, significant factors circle around aspects of toughness and control. However, research on privileged adolescents also shows that ambition and an embrace of competition need to be balanced with an expression of 'ease' in order to be regarded as a 'true success' (Khan 2011;Poynting and Donaldson 2005).…”

Belonging without believing? Making space for marginal masculinities at the Young Men’s Christian Association in the United Kingdom and The Gambia

“…Like Peter, Gabriel was volunteering with Joe at the YMCA and at nineteen was a softly spoken young man. Unlike Peter, but like a number of young men from wealthier backgrounds (Proctor 2011), he gave off a self-assured confidence and was using the Sports Leadership course to accelerate his 'big man' trajectory. As Gabriel told me, sport has allowed him to travel and visit 'many, many countries', offering a double chance of distinguishing himself locally as both a sportsman and well-seasoned traveller.…”