Abstract
Since masculinity is “historically changing and politically fraught”any attempt at defining it remains deficient and incomplete. As R.W. Connell puts it, masculinities “come into existence at particular times and places, and are always subject to change” (Connell, 3). In Lebanon, the civil war had an enormous impact on the manner masculinity is perceived. The war polarized people according to their gender; the masculine ideal was reflected in courageous men killing and fighting in
the name of patriotism, whereas women were frequently associated with passivity.
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