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The Inertia of Masculinity: Narratives of Creative Aspiration Among Arab-Australian Youth

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Masculinity, Labour, and Neoliberalism

Part of the book series: Global Masculinities ((GLMAS))

Abstract

Young Arab-Australian men have been the subject of sociological inquiry, on multiculturalism, belonging and nationhood. We address a different facet of young Arab-Australian men’s lives: work and career aspiration. We offer four case studies of working-class Arab-Australian young men from Western Sydney who attempt to adapt to the new economy and job insecurity. Despite lacking the contacts and other social resources, they aspire to creative vocations. Longstanding patriarchal ‘narrative scripts’ of self-employment and independence shape our interviewees’ aspirations. Their creative aspirations challenge communal norms around working life but they do not radically break with the parent culture. Rather, structural economic changes have the altered the rules of social mobility and these young men must weigh up competing forces.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Various scholars have argued that, despite their reliance on the sale/commodification of their work, artists have traditionally believed that their creative vitality depends on remaining at one remove from such processes (Bourdieu 1993; DiMaggio 1977).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia

    Sherene Idriss

  2. Institute for Culture and Society, School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia

    George Morgan

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  1. Sherene Idriss
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  2. George Morgan
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom

    Charlie Walker

  2. Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Steven Roberts

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Idriss, S., Morgan, G. (2018). The Inertia of Masculinity: Narratives of Creative Aspiration Among Arab-Australian Youth. In: Walker, C., Roberts, S. (eds) Masculinity, Labour, and Neoliberalism. Global Masculinities. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63172-1_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63172-1_10

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-63171-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63172-1

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