Subjectivity, Identity and Violence: Masculinity Crossroads

Abstract

This article explores elements of masculine subjectivity and identity based on interviews with men from median and low income groups whose spouses pressed charges against them with the Family Commissioners (comisaría de familia) of Bogota. Based on the post-structuralist tradition in social sciences and pro-feminist studies about masculinities, the article examines the significances and representations of the men about the occurrences of intrafamilial violence, in the context of the negotiation of homes in front of family judges. The article points out properties of the accounts related to everyday practices that represent a tactical character in the negotiation of the representation of self, and are codified expressions of cultural constructs that configure the relationships between intrafamilial violence and masculinity. It is shown how intervention processes in matters that traditionally were reserved for private consideration, have allowed to evidence the ambivalence of masculine identities to get rid of the stigma of having been reported and consolidate images that result in accordance with hegemonic patterns of representation and power.