Masculinity matters: using entertainment education to engage men in ending violence against women in India

Abstract

In this article, R.W. Connell's notion of hegemonic masculinity is used to examine the role of male gender norms in perpetuating violence against women. The researchers discuss the implications for entertainment-education (EE) programmes that seek to promote gender equality by modelling alternative forms of masculinity and sparking critical dialogue about gender-equitable masculine norms. First, theories are reviewed that contextualise masculinity and media to establish a strategic foundation for engaging men through EE. Next, a case study is undertaken of media campaigns by Breakthrough, a human rights organisation that has produced a number of media and EE initiatives to address violence against women. The article highlights five specific ways in which men can be represented in media campaigns with EE components: 1) invisible men; 2) men as perpetrators; 3) men as allies; 4) men as agents in challenging hegemonic masculinity; and 5) men as agents in redefining manhood.

Concerns With Entertainment-Education: Zombie Pandemic Preparedness and the Unanticipated Promotion of a Weapons Culture

“…EE has been used to explore a wide array of health concerns, perhaps most notably in developing countries (Kawamura & Kohler, 2013; Singhal, 2013). Typically, this can involve examining a health theme, such as HIV, condom use, or domestic violence through a radio or television soap opera (e.g., Goldstein, Usdin, Scheepers, & Japhet, 2005; Lapsansky & Chatterjee, 2013; Pappas-DeLuca et al, 2008; Singhal & Rogers, 1999). It has been suggested that EE works through a variety of processes including narrative-transportation, wherein audiences lose themselves in a story, as well as their involvement with both the storyline and the characters (Moyer-Gusé, 2008).…”

The Councilwoman’s Tale. Countering Intimate Partner Homicides by Electing Women in Local Councils

“…On the contrary, communities with more gender-equal cultural norms are characterized by alternative forms of masculinity (Flecha García, Puigvert Mallart, & Ríos González, 2013;Giuliano, 2020;Lapsansky & Chatterjee, 2013) and are less keen on justifying abuse.…”

“We Learn How to Become Good Men”: Working with Male Allies to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls in Urban Informal Settlements in Mumbai, India

“…Of the fifty-eight programs reviewed, seventy-seven were considered to be “gender-transformative.” That is, they aimed to change the “relations, norms, and systems that sustain gender inequality and violence” ( Barker, Ricardo, and Nascimento 2007: 4 ; Jewkes, Flood, and Lang 2015 ). In the Indian context, programs with men have engaged in peer education and awareness ( Verma et al 2006 ), involved local coalitions of activists and activist-inspired groups ( Das et al 2012 ), and mass-media and awareness campaigns ( Lapsansky and Chatterjee 2013 ), and have shown success in promoting gender equitable norms among men. Global exploratory research with men engaged in anti-violence activism has shown that male allies emphasize the importance of personal relationships with women as well as with other men and their engagement in other social justice movements as important pathways to activism ( E. Casey and Smith 2010 ; E. A. Casey et al 2016 ).…”