The erotics and politics of masochistic self-abjection in 'Jackass'
Walsh, Fintan (2007) The erotics and politics of masochistic self-abjection in 'Jackass'. Gender Forum 18 , pp. 41-62. ISSN 1613-1878.
Abstract
This paper examines the role of masochistic self-abjection in the construction and operation of heteronormative masculinity in Jackass: The Movie (2002) with reference to the Jackass series, offshoot series, and Jackass: Number Two (2006). The paper begins by analysing how masculinity in constructed through masochistic acts, presented as if rites of initiation that involve the abjection, figurative castration and penetration of the male body. It also considers how males performatively control their 'abject others' in the service of affirming a stable masculine core. The paper continues to assess the role played by comedy in the film, and questions whether Jackass, and its associated films/series, merely signifies the triumph of low culture or if it highlights a deeper problem with Western masculinity.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication |
Research Centres and Institutes: | Gender and Sexuality, Birkbeck (BiGS) |
Depositing User: | Sarah Hall |
Date Deposited: | 24 Jul 2018 11:51 |
Last Modified: | 09 Aug 2023 12:44 |
URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/23286 |
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