Power through Knowledge: Ignorance and the ‘Real Man’

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Abstract
The aim of this article is to show that tensions between conflicting accounts of masculinity need not only be ‘resolved’ by individual men, but can have a collective ‘resolution’. We argue that the ‘real man’ - by drawing together the ‘macho’ and ‘new man’ discourses - represents one such ‘integrated’ discourse of masculinity available to men. Our argument is based on a discourse analysis of 15 editions of Men’s Health, a South African magazine predominantly aimed at white, middle- to upper-middle class, heterosexual men. We also investigate how such integrated discourses may be collectively produced, arguing that the ‘real man’ is the product of a rhetorical question-answer strategy that moves men from ignorance to knowledge. Focusing on the rhetoric of masculine ignorance, we argue that the knowledge produced in answer to this ignorance serves to ‘resolve’ a current dilemma for men: how to maintain an essential masculinity while distancing oneself from criticisms of men as traditionally macho. We conclude by exploring, from a feminist perspective, the political implications of the ‘real man’ discourse as a collective ‘resolution’.