"Laced with evocative stories based on ethnographic observations and interviews with high school kids, Dude, You're a Fag tells gripping stories of life in high school, while helping to extend the cutting edge of scholarly theory on gender and sexualities. C.J. Pascoe has contributed a highly readable and extremely insightful book that will be required reading for students and scholars of youth and the construction of sex and gender in schools."Michael A. Messner, author of Taking the Field: Women, Men and Sports"This is a strikingly original study of schoolboys renegotiating class, gender, and ethnicity, along with the labeling as 'fag'. Here homophobia is at work in a path breaking study, which is also a highly readable must-read."Ken Plummer, University of Essex, and editor of Sexualities"We know that schools are a central site for the construction of gender identity, but until C. J. Pascoe's careful and compassionate ethnography, we haven't known exactly how gender conformity is extracted from a slurry of humiliations, fears, and anxieties. Boys will not be boys unless they are made to be, by violence, real or implied. A troubling, thoughtful work."Michael Kimmel, author of Manhood in America"Pascoe's thoughtful analysis of the rhetorical and interactional processes that constitute the field of masculinity for young, high school men coming of age is rich and engaging. With fresh insight and careful observation, Pascoe sheds new light on the complex interplay of masculinity, homophobia, sexuality, and the body, compelling us to rethink the formation of gender identities, collective gender practices, and the reproduction of gender inequalities."Amy L. Best, author of Prom Night: Youth, Schools and Popular Culture and Fast Cars, Cool Rides: The Accelerating World of Youth and Their Cars"In this superb ethnography of daily life in a contemporary high school, C. J. Pascoe highlights the sexualized dynamics of youthful masculinity. With vivid detail and perceptive analysis, she examines the 'fag talk' which pervades boys' conversations; the convergence of gender, sexual, and racialized practices in school rituals like the 'Mr. Cougar' contest; and the experiences of girls who display themselves as masculine. The result is a book that breaks fresh ground in masculinity and gender studies-and is a very good read!"Barrie Thorne, author of Gender Play: Girls and Boys in School
Acknowledgments ixMaking Masculinity: Adolescence, Identity, and High School 1Revenge of the Nerds 1What Do We Mean by Masculinity? 6Bringing in Sexuality 9Rethinking Masculinity, Sexuality, and Bodies 13Methodology 15Organization of the Book 22Becoming Mr. Cougar: Institutionalizing Heterosexuality and Masculinity at River High 25River High's Gender and Sexuality Curriculum 28Pedagogy: The Unofficial Gender and Sexuality Curriculum 31School Rituals: Performing and Policing Gender and Sexuality 39Gender and Sexuality Regimes 50Dude, You're a Fag: Adolescent Male Homophobia 52What Is a Fag? Gendered Meanings 55Becoming a Fag: Fag Fluidity 59Embodying the Fag: Ricky's Story 65Racializing the Fag 71Where the Fag Disappears: Drama Performances 78Reframing Homophobia 81Compulsive Heterosexuality: Masculinity and Dominance 84A Stud with the Ladies 87Getting Girls 92Touching 96Sex Talk 101Girls Respond 104I'm Different from Other Guys 107Females Are the Puppets 113Look at My Masculinity! Girls Who Act Like Boys 115Tomboy Pasts 117Rebeca and the Basketball Girls 120The Homecoming Queen: Jessie Chau 133The Gay/Straight Alliance Girls 140Embodying Masculinity 151Conclusion: Thinking about Schooling, Gender, and Sexuality 156Masculinity at River High 157Theoretical Implications 163Practical Steps 167Appendix: What If a Guy Hits on You? Intersections of Gender, Sexuality, and Age in Fieldwork with Adolescents 175Notes 195References 201Index 215