Christine Mennesson

Homosociability and Homosexuality: The Case of Soccer Played by Women

This article analyses the biographical and contextual elements favouring the involvement of female athletes playing high-level team sports in homosexual practices, a recurring issue in the sporting arena. The study takes place in the world of soccer, archetype in France — along with rugby— of a male-oriented, homophobic sociability that is unfavourable to feminization of the sport. Based on in-depth interviews and on a long observation period, this study contributes to the current scientific debate regarding the construction of identity, notably gender identity. It focuses in particular on Becker and Goffmans work on the process of normative construction. We first point out the role of female-team homosociability in the acquisition of knowledge that facilitates involvement in homosexual practices. Next, we discuss the biographical life routes — either circumstantial or relatively permanent — that tend to favour homosexuality.

Professional Habitus and the Construction of Gender The Case of Male Journalists for Sports Magazines in France

This article analyzes the role of male journalists in the construction of gender models in the specialized mountain bike press. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s field and habitus theory, it shows that the masculine and feminine media figures are mainly dependent on the professional habitus of these male journalists. Indeed, on one hand, professional socialization experiences out of the mountain bike press do facilitate a critical attitude regarding the most stereotypical gender models. On the other hand, male journalists who inversely spent all of their career within the mountain bike press do perpetuate representations in keeping with the dominant doxa.