?En ja?vla freakshow?
Representationer av maskulinitet i svensk wrestling
?Sthlm wrestling?; professional wrestlingPro wrestlingMasculinitiesGenderRepresentations?Sthlm wrestling?WrestlingFribrottningMaskuliniteterGenusRepresentationer
The aim of this thesis is to examine representations of masculinity in the activities of a local professional wrestling promotion. After briefly outlining what professional wrestling is, the study draws on a body on feminist and intersectional theory which critiques the notion of gender as a binary and essential category. The material comprises 10 recorded shows and oth- er material published on Sthlm Wrestling?s website between 2010 and 2013, and is analyzed using a qualitative methodology derived from cultural studies. The thesis argues that there are many different types of masculinities in the narrative, which are constructed in relation to different power hierarchies such as ethnicity, class, sex and sexuality. The few female wrestlers are marginalized, but not sexualized as in the U.S. context. The heels (rule-breakers) are found on the borders of social and cultural categories, and there is an explicit SM-narrative present.