Kan machismo likställas med manlighet i Mexico? : om staten, urbefolkningarna och kulturarvsdiskursen

by Ekholm, Tanja

”Kan machismo likställas med manlighet i Mexico? – en studie om mexikanska genusrelationer”. The department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology, Uppsala University, Uppsala. This thesis examines the machismo ideology and what masculinity means in Mexico. Machismo can be seen as a general ideology for masculinity that influences different aspects of the Mexican society. Therefore it can be argued that there are both positive and negative aspects of the phenomenon. I argue that the machismo ideology can be analysed as consisting of different components, which are masculine and feminine sexuality, the honour and shame complex, protectionism and homophobia. Side by side with machismo, different categories of masculinity exist, which can be said both to confirm and question machismo. The catholic religion is an important factor when it comes to reproducing the gender order. The religious model legitimates the inequality between men and women in Mexico. I argue, using the arguments of Connell, that machismo can be seen as the so called hegemonic masculinity, which is defined as the accepted answer for the patriarchal order for this time being. The patriarchal order is analysed by Connell as consisting of three mayor structures, which are the division of labour, power and cathexis. In order to change the gender order consisting of these structures a degendering that would change those structures that uphold the patriarchal society would have to occur.