Overview
- Grounded in contemporary forms of hegemonic masculinity, questions of gender and language, and the notion of enlanguaging
- Argues that neo-positive masculinity combines elements of dominance, normativity and androcentrism
- Fills a crucial gap in understanding of language at the intersection of gender, sexuality, and power
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Language, Gender and Sexuality (PSLGS)
Access this book
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Other ways to access
Table of contents (8 chapters)
-
Front Matter
-
Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This book examines the linguistic and discursive mechanisms that realize the mythological American Alpha Male. Providing an in-depth dissection of corpora from an online socio-commercial community, a pop-psychology guru, and fictional gay erotica, it unravels the ways language, gender, and hegemony play out in this ideological figure of neopositive, essentialist masculinity. Through a detailed, multi-level analysis, Russell shows how the Alpha figure combines elements of dominance, normativity, and androcentrism and how these forces intersect with neoliberal and pseudoscientific discourses to establish a uniquely hybridized male hegemony, one that is familiar to most, but whose internal mechanisms remain largely unquestioned and unexamined. This book will be of interest to academic scholars in sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, cultural studies, and gender and sexualities studies.
Reviews
“Whether in real life or our imagination, we all know an alpha male. While his self-aggrandizing rhetorical prowess appalls many of us, others are mesmerized by it. And yet few of us have had the stomach to dissect its content and form. In this book, Eric Louis Russell waltzes through the alpha male’s symbolic territory with analytical finesse and methodological rigour. This book is an indispensable source for anyone interested in understanding how alpha males speak and how to counter the gender stereotypes that uphold them.”
- Professor Rodrigo Borba, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
“What does it mean to be a man today? How does the way that we talk to each other implicate us in a world saturated with vitriolic toxic masculinity? How do the hegemonic performatives of masculinities directly impact everything from work, school, dating, family life and politics? How can we understand the myth and the reality of the concept of alpha masculinity? In a richly researched, insightful study, Eric Louis Russell moves us through a granular examination of language and the semiotics of gender towards a close understanding of the terms of alpha masculinity today. Far from just a label tossed around to make some men feel good about their performatives, alpha masculinity invokes realities with very real consequences on bodies, enacted violences and political machinations. If you want to understand the dynamics of gender today, you must read this book.” - Professor Michelle A. Marzullo, California Institute of Integral Studies, USA
“In one of the most important critical analyses of the ‘Alpha Male’ cultural figure, Russell sets out a compelling account of how language is interwoven with hierarchies of masculinity, sexuality, and identity. Drawing on a range of theoretical and methodological approaches, this book offers an insightful examination of the language of alpha gurus, alphapornography, ‘how to become an Alpha’ guides, and more. Not only is this book an important addition to language, gender, and sexuality studies, it is essential reading for anyone interested in the role that language plays in the mythologies and realities of ‘Alpha’ masculinity.”
- Dr Robert Lawson, Birmingham City University, UK
“Unlike other studies of masculine hegemony, Russell provides an interpretive theory of Alpha Masculinity. Here is a much-needed language-centered framework for describing oppressive masculine practices. But here is a framework for building generalizations across examples that do more than restate self-evident masculine claims to authority. This is rewarding example of a politically charged, applied queer linguistics, and will be of interest for students of language and sexuality, gender theory, and feminist linguistics.”
- William L. Leap, American University, USA, Founder Journal of Language & Sexuality
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Eric Louis Russell is a Professor in the Department of French & Italian and affiliated with the Department of Linguistics and the Program in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at the University of California, Davis. His research looks at the linguistic foundations and discursive practices of masculinities, sexualities, and sociocultural animus.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Alpha Masculinity
Book Subtitle: Hegemony in Language and Discourse
Authors: Eric Louis Russell
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Language, Gender and Sexuality
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70470-4
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-70469-8Published: 16 April 2021
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-70472-8Published: 17 April 2022
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-70470-4Published: 15 April 2021
Series ISSN: 2947-9169
Series E-ISSN: 2947-9177
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 249
Number of Illustrations: 21 illustrations in colour
Topics: Sociolinguistics, Gender Studies, Gender Studies