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THE PUBLIC SPECTACLE OF ITALIAN MASCULINITY: NONVERBAL DISPLAY OF GENDER IDENTITY

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Date Issued:
2007
Abstract/Description:
Italian masculine identity is examined by looking at the following influences: history and structure of Italian society, the public places used for the performance and the culture surrounding the display of masculinity. This research uses an approach similar to an ethnography of communication. Initial data and ideas were gathered through observational fieldwork and interviews that took take place in Italy during July 2006 and July 2007. A methods section describes interviews that later took place with Americans in order to compare and contrast responses with ones previously collected from Italians. The data gathered from these interviews will be used to highlight and substantiate the components of cultural identity that are unique to Italian masculinity. In analyzing the research data, the social meaning model is applied to elaborate a culturally shared set of meanings for a particular nonverbal act in an Italian piazza. Finally, findings are organized using four aspects of cultural identity to understand an Italian definition of masculinity. Two contributions emerged from the research: cultural sense making and cultural change. Cultural sense making provides a context for Italian masculine behavior, and cultural change describes the transformation of Italian ideology between the generations in regards to gender roles.
Title: THE PUBLIC SPECTACLE OF ITALIAN MASCULINITY: NONVERBAL DISPLAY OF GENDER IDENTITY.
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Name(s): Perrotte, Gino, Author
Hastings, Sally, Committee Chair
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2007
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Italian masculine identity is examined by looking at the following influences: history and structure of Italian society, the public places used for the performance and the culture surrounding the display of masculinity. This research uses an approach similar to an ethnography of communication. Initial data and ideas were gathered through observational fieldwork and interviews that took take place in Italy during July 2006 and July 2007. A methods section describes interviews that later took place with Americans in order to compare and contrast responses with ones previously collected from Italians. The data gathered from these interviews will be used to highlight and substantiate the components of cultural identity that are unique to Italian masculinity. In analyzing the research data, the social meaning model is applied to elaborate a culturally shared set of meanings for a particular nonverbal act in an Italian piazza. Finally, findings are organized using four aspects of cultural identity to understand an Italian definition of masculinity. Two contributions emerged from the research: cultural sense making and cultural change. Cultural sense making provides a context for Italian masculine behavior, and cultural change describes the transformation of Italian ideology between the generations in regards to gender roles.
Identifier: CFE0001988 (IID), ucf:47424 (fedora)
Note(s): 2007-12-01
M.A.
Sciences, Nicholson School of Communication
Masters
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): cultural identity
masculinity
Italy
nonverbal communication
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001988
Restrictions on Access: public
Host Institution: UCF

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