Masculinities and experimental practices in physics: The view from three case studies

Allison J. Gonsalves; Anna Danielsson; Helena Pettersson

doi:10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.12.020120

Masculinities and experimental practices in physics: The view from three case studies

Allison J. Gonsalves, Anna Danielsson, Helena Pettersson

School of Education, Communication & Society

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96 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Gender in Physics.] This article analyzes masculinity and experimental practices within three different physics communities. This work is premised on the understanding that the discipline of physics is not only dominated by men, but also is laden with masculine connotations on a symbolical level, and that this limited and limiting construction of physics has made it difficult for many women to find a place in the discipline. Consequently, we argue that in order to further the understanding of gender dynamics within physics communities and enrich the current understandings about the lack of women in physics, perspectives from masculinity studies are crucial. The article draws on three different ethnographic case studies dealing with undergraduate students, graduate students, and research scientists.

Original language	English
Article number	020120
Journal	Physical Review Special Topics: Physics Education Research
Volume	12
Issue number	2
Early online date	1 Aug 2016
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.12.020120
Publication status	Published - 1 Aug 2016

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Masculinities and experimental practices_GONSALVES_Publishedonline1August2016_GOLD VoR (CC BY)Final published version, 172 KBLicence: CC BY

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Masculinities and experimental practices in physics: The view from three case studies

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