Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School » (1st Edition)

C.J. Pascoe is Postdoctoral Scholar with the Digital Youth Project at the
Institute for the Study of Social Change, University of California, Berkeley.

"Laced with evocative stories based on ethnographic observations and interviews with high school kids, Dude, You're a Fag tells gripping stories of life in high school, while helping to extend the cutting edge of scholarly theory on gender and sexualities. C.J. Pascoe has contributed a highly readable and extremely insightful book that will be required reading for students and scholars of youth and the construction of sex and gender in schools."—Michael A. Messner, author of Taking the Field: Women, Men and Sports

"This is a strikingly original study of schoolboys renegotiating class, gender, and ethnicity, along with the labeling as 'fag'. Here homophobia is at work in a path breaking study, which is also a highly readable must-read."—Ken Plummer, University of Essex, and editor of Sexualities

"We know that schools are a central site for the construction of gender identity, but until C. J. Pascoe's careful and compassionate ethnography, we haven't known exactly how gender conformity is extracted from a slurry of humiliations, fears, and anxieties. Boys will not be boys unless they are made to be, by violence, real or implied. A troubling, thoughtful work."—Michael Kimmel, author of Manhood in America

"Pascoe's thoughtful analysis of the rhetorical and interactional processes that constitute the field of masculinity for young, high school men coming of age is rich and engaging. With fresh insight and careful observation, Pascoe sheds new light on the complex interplay of masculinity, homophobia, sexuality, and the body, compelling us to rethink the formation of gender identities, collective gender practices, and the reproduction of gender inequalities."—Amy L. Best, author of Prom Night: Youth, Schools and Popular Culture and Fast Cars, Cool Rides: The Accelerating World of Youth and Their Cars

"
In this superb ethnography of daily life in a contemporary high school, C. J. Pascoe highlights the sexualized dynamics of youthful masculinity. With vivid detail and perceptive analysis, she examines the 'fag talk' which pervades boys' conversations; the convergence of gender, sexual, and racialized practices in school rituals like the 'Mr. Cougar' contest; and the experiences of girls who display themselves as masculine. The result is a book that breaks fresh ground in masculinity and gender studies-and is a very good read!"—Barrie Thorne, author of Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School

Acknowledgments     ix
Making Masculinity: Adolescence, Identity, and High School     1
Revenge of the Nerds     1
What Do We Mean by Masculinity?     6
Bringing in Sexuality     9
Rethinking Masculinity, Sexuality, and Bodies     13
Methodology     15
Organization of the Book     22
Becoming Mr. Cougar: Institutionalizing Heterosexuality and Masculinity at River High     25
River High's Gender and Sexuality Curriculum     28
Pedagogy: The Unofficial Gender and Sexuality Curriculum     31
School Rituals: Performing and Policing Gender and Sexuality     39
Gender and Sexuality Regimes     50
Dude, You're a Fag: Adolescent Male Homophobia     52
What Is a Fag? Gendered Meanings     55
Becoming a Fag: Fag Fluidity     59
Embodying the Fag: Ricky's Story     65
Racializing the Fag     71
Where the Fag Disappears: Drama Performances     78
Reframing Homophobia     81
Compulsive Heterosexuality: Masculinity and Dominance     84
A Stud with the Ladies     87
Getting Girls     92
Touching     96
Sex Talk     101
Girls Respond     104
I'm Different from Other Guys     107
Females Are the Puppets     113
Look at My Masculinity! Girls Who Act Like Boys     115
Tomboy Pasts     117
Rebeca and the Basketball Girls     120
The Homecoming Queen: Jessie Chau     133
The Gay/Straight Alliance Girls     140
Embodying Masculinity     151
Conclusion: Thinking about Schooling, Gender, and Sexuality     156
Masculinity at River High     157
Theoretical Implications     163
Practical Steps     167
Appendix: What If a Guy Hits on You? Intersections of Gender, Sexuality, and Age in Fieldwork with Adolescents     175
Notes     195
References     201
Index     215