GENDERED HEROISM, LIMITED POLITICS

Although some feminists have argued that women's involvement in caring activities has fostered a distinctive point of view which should be a pplied to the political realm, others contend that this model could be used against women and is unsuited for democratic citizenship and lea dership. To better understand if maternalism and other gendered vision s of politics are likely to be inclusive and democratic in contemporar y society, this project investigated ordinary citizens' understandings of heroism, a contested concept that concerns excellence and greatnes s. The research strategy of intensive interviews and Q-methodology yie lded four conceptualizations of heroism. The paper examines how these diverse views of heroism relate to traditional notions of masculinity and femininity, analyzes their mix of gendered attributes, and discuss es implications for citizenship, political leadership, and political c ulture. Views of heroism rooted in both stereotypically masculine and feminine attributes provide limited visions for democratic politics.