Investigating Intersections of Privilege: Whiteness, Class Privilege, Heterosexuality and Masculinity

Abstract

This chapter takes an intersectional lens to explore privilege and the necessity of ‘studying up’. It initially delves into the concepts of open and closed masculinities, based on a framework of margin-centre. These concepts provide useful devices for considering privilege in terms of men and masculinities, but also situate the margin as a site of openness and possibility, following the work of bell hooks. The chapter then explores intersections of whiteness, class privilege, heterosexuality and masculinity. Key concepts in the field of critical studies on men and masculinities are investigated as well as newer theoretical and conceptual advancements, and overviews of the hegemonic forms of masculinity in Australia and Germany are presented. The chapter concludes with a profile of structures of work and gender in both countries, focusing on the mediating effects of privilege on rising precarity.