The glass phallus: Pub(lic) masculinity and drinking in rural New Zealand

In this article I report the findings of an ethnographic study of men's pub drinking in rural New Zealand. By using the idea of hegemonic masculinity and incorporating theoretical ideas of gender performativity the analysis f ocuses on aspects of drinking performance that are central to the establish ment of hegemony by a particular version of masculinity in this community. Two important characteristics of pub drinking performance are conversationa l cockfighting and the disciplines of drinking. These combine to ensure tha t a particular version of masculinity, here called pub(lic) masculinity, is able to reproduce itself. A further finding is that masculinity in this ki nd of performative situation develops a degree of invisibility. Using the m etaphor of the "glass phallus," I engage with the difficulties of analyzing an invisible masculinity and argue that rendering masculinity visible is a n important task for any sociological analysis of both public leisure sites in rural society and the embodied performance of alcohol consumption by me n in public spaces.