Politics of Masculinities in Neoliberal South Korea

This panel approaches masculinities not only as an aspect of individual (gender) identity, but also a dimension of gender as a social structure of inequality and lasting symbols of strength, control, mastery, and prestige. It also highlights the "performative" nature of gender as effects of what people do and therefore interactively developing, rather than what people are born with and immutably fixed, without overlooking the enduring power of gender norms and gendered institutional practices over various groups of individuals. In particular the panel intends to illuminate how the neoliberal transformation of the world in general and of South Korea in particular for the past three decades have shaped continuities and discontinuities in multiple embodiments of masculinities.

The panel has four presentations, discussing embodiments and practices of masculinities in neoliberal South Korea.

Dr. Olga Fedorenko, "From military heroes to 'cute uncles': the politics of cuteness and middle-aged masculinity in neoliberal South Korea"

Dr. Yenn Lee, "Transient formation and reconfiguration of the manosphere: a case study of anti-feminist consumer boycotts in South Korea"

Ms. Yoon Jung Jeong, "Locating Korean masculinities: qualitative research on young korean men's identity formation"

Dr. Patricia Chica-Morales & Dr. Aurelia Martin-Casares, "The rise of anti-feminism and neo-machismo in South Korea: Focusing on the discourse of the New Men's Solidarity Foundation"