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Hegemonic Masculinity A Thousand Splendid Suns Analysis

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Topic: Hegemonic Masculinity in Khaled Hosseini's novel A Thousand Splendid Suns
This study is carried out to find the causes and reasons of ‘hegemonic masculinity’ in Afghan society through Khaled Hosseini’s novel: A Thousand Splendid Suns. This term is not just restricted to masculine superiority but it is about gender relations. When we speak of masculinities it is not equivalent to male gender only, rather it is concerned with the position of men in gender order. The theoretical framework of this article has been derived from the work of Raewyn Connell's work on masculinities. In her words:
“To speak of masculinities is to speak about gender relations. […] They can be defined as the patterns of practice by which people (both men and women, though predominantly men) engage that position.” …show more content…

Connell asserted towards a new sociology of masculinity; the theoretical concern is that in the gender order as a whole, masculinity was one piece of the jigsaw. She tried to make social science relevant to social justice.
The traditional definition of ‘hegemonic masculinity’ includes words like breadwinner, strong, rational, tough, aggressive, non feminine, don't cry, get girls, break the rules and so on. Developing the concept of masculinities has obvious implications of re-fixing of the role of gender balance in a society. By creating a mindset that results in reduction of violence, thereby creating gender equality. So masculinity needs to be reconsidered

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