The Bears and the Lady
Type de matériel :
TexteLangue : français Détails de publication : 2019.
Ressources en ligne : Abrégé : The bear phenomenon, which goes back to the coming up of the modern American gay culture during the sixties and the seventies, has been expanding in Europe since the turn of the 21st century, appealing mostly mature, white, middle-class, urban men. This ethnographic study aims to describe an annual bear meeting, The Bears Week, organized in Sitges (Spain) and mainly attended by gay men living in Europe. It attempts as well to highlight the gender dynamics at work during this festive and sexual gathering. Along the week, thousands of men spread across the city, and crowd in several hot spots: some specific beaches during the day, and the gay area of Sitges at night, where they have been observed. As diverse and inclusive as it can be, and whatever it may precisely mean on an individual basis, the “bear identity” proceeds from a performance of hegemonic masculinity combined with an exhibition of male homosexuality. It involves manifesting virility and cool maleness, coming out as a gay regular guy, and touching bodies around in order to express camaraderie and togetherness. Beyond that, many bears also happen to perform effeminacy, or at least to demonstrate a kind of familiarity and complicity with genderfuck and camp culture. The Bears Week do not strictly stand for a community meeting, nor for an identity event, but produces during a week an ongoing party, a sexual gathering, and sets a gender scene for gay masculinity.
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The bear phenomenon, which goes back to the coming up of the modern American gay culture during the sixties and the seventies, has been expanding in Europe since the turn of the 21st century, appealing mostly mature, white, middle-class, urban men. This ethnographic study aims to describe an annual bear meeting, The Bears Week, organized in Sitges (Spain) and mainly attended by gay men living in Europe. It attempts as well to highlight the gender dynamics at work during this festive and sexual gathering. Along the week, thousands of men spread across the city, and crowd in several hot spots: some specific beaches during the day, and the gay area of Sitges at night, where they have been observed. As diverse and inclusive as it can be, and whatever it may precisely mean on an individual basis, the “bear identity” proceeds from a performance of hegemonic masculinity combined with an exhibition of male homosexuality. It involves manifesting virility and cool maleness, coming out as a gay regular guy, and touching bodies around in order to express camaraderie and togetherness. Beyond that, many bears also happen to perform effeminacy, or at least to demonstrate a kind of familiarity and complicity with genderfuck and camp culture. The Bears Week do not strictly stand for a community meeting, nor for an identity event, but produces during a week an ongoing party, a sexual gathering, and sets a gender scene for gay masculinity.




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