Becoming “Real Men”

Abstract

Previous studies of adolescent male sexual violence have ignored—among other issues—offender agency and gender. The life-history method offers a means to explore both. In this article, the life histories of two adolescent male sex offenders are juxtaposed and analyzed. Although both boys initially launched a hegemonic masculine project, bodily and sexual practices institutionalized in the school presented “masculinity challenges” to both boys and played a major role in structuring their subsequent formation of subordinate masculinities. Both boys eventually used sexual violence as a resource for over-coming the masculinity challenges and, thus, constructing a fragmented representation of in-school dominant masculinity. The life-history data support feminist perspectives that highlight the meaningful actions of individual agents and the significance of gender accomplishment as socially situated and intermittent. The article suggests that future research examine the salience of masculinity challenges, the body, and sexuality to adolescent male sexual violence.

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