"Gammpojkar" ⁠— kropp och maskulinitet i heterosexualitetens periferi

Abstract

In this article the relation between body and the masculine identities expressed among older bachelors in Norrland are discussed. As the cultural landscape surrounding the bachelors is characterized by the ideal of the nuclear family as well as a compulsory heterosexuality, these men find themselves on the margins of heterosexuality. This position on the outskirts has brought a heightened sensitivity to how masculinity "should" be articulated, and to a great extent the old bachelors have secured their understanding of their male selves in the body's capacity for work. A body in working order functions as a kind of anchor for masculinity, a foundation which makes possible a stable identity. However, this faith in the body also involves certain risks. In the event of decisive occurences in life, "fateful moments", in which the body is deformed in one way or another, the bachelors are forced to reassess their understanding of themselves, their life routines, and their relations to the surrounding world. The body can, in other words, function as both the preservative and the transformative in masculine identity.