Date of Award

2011

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Program

Kinesiology

Supervisor

Dr. Kevin Wamsley

Abstract

Canadian media outlets have paid significant attention to figure skating, increasingly

in reference to the competitive careers of male, Canadian skaters. This analysis investigates the particular representations of masculinity that are textually produced and reproduced in

journalism from the Globe and Mail and autobiographical writings from select figure skaters. Drawing from the methodology of critical discourse analysis as developed by Norman Fairclough and the theory of hegemonic masculinity from R.W. Connell, these three case studies examine the careers of Toller Cranston, Kurt Browning, and Elvis Stojko. Through an analysis of the careers of these figure skaters which spans four decades, various notions and representations of hegemonic masculinity are documented. Additionally, this study analyzes how these shifts reflect broader socio-historical knowledge in an attempt to construct a unified image of Canada and national discourse.

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