Steele, Sarah and Shores, Tyler (2025) Discursive Constructions of Masculinity in Campaigns Addressing Gender Violence in London. Theoretical Criminology. (In Press)
Steele, Sarah and Shores, Tyler (2025) Discursive Constructions of Masculinity in Campaigns Addressing Gender Violence in London. Theoretical Criminology. (In Press)
Steele, Sarah and Shores, Tyler (2025) Discursive Constructions of Masculinity in Campaigns Addressing Gender Violence in London. Theoretical Criminology. (In Press)
Abstract
Public service announcements (PSAs) increasingly position men as key agents in preventing gender-based violence (GBV), yet their ideological foundations remain underexplored. This study critically analyses two London-based PSAs—Have a Word and Maaate— through a discourse analytic lens to examine how they construct responsibility and masculinity. We introduce the concept of responsibilised masculinity to describe a hybrid formation that blends progressive gender ideals with neoliberal self-regulation. While the campaigns promote male intervention, they represent a broader trend that risks individualising responsibility and obscuring the structural conditions that sustain GBV. We argue that these PSAs discipline masculinities through moral governance, reinforcing dominant power relations while appearing transformative. The paper calls for prevention efforts that move beyond responsibilisation toward systemic, relational, and abolitionist approaches to gender justice.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Responsibilised masculinity, gender violence, neoliberalism, hegemonic masculinity, abolitionist feminism |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science and Health Faculty of Science and Health > Health and Social Care, School of |
| SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
| Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Nov 2025 11:31 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Nov 2025 11:31 |
| URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/42014 |