“A Cathartic Moment in a Man’s Life”: Homosociality and Gendered Fun on the Puttan Tour

Crowhurst, I. and Eldridge, A. 2018. “A Cathartic Moment in a Man’s Life”: Homosociality and Gendered Fun on the Puttan Tour. Men and Masculinities. 23 (1), pp. 170-193. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184x18766578

Title“A Cathartic Moment in a Man’s Life”: Homosociality and Gendered Fun on the Puttan Tour
TypeJournal article
AuthorsCrowhurst, I. and Eldridge, A.
AbstractRarely addressed in academic scholarship, the puttan tour is a well-known form of entertainment in Italy where young men drive around in small groups with the aim of spotting street sex workers. On some occasions, the participants will approach the sex workers to strike up a conversation. On others, they will shout out insults from their car then drive away. This article aims to advance a detailed analysis of this underexplored cultural practice drawing on a diverse body of scholarship exploring the intersection of masculinity, leisure, and homosociality. By analyzing stories of puttan tours gathered mostly online, including written accounts and YouTube videos, our aim is to explore the appeal of the puttan tour through an analysis of how homosociality, humor, and laughter operate in this example of gendered fun. To this end, we look at the multiple and often equivocal meanings of this homosocial male-bonding ritual, its emotional and affective dynamics, and the ways in which it reproduces structures of inequality while normalizing violence against sex workers.
KeywordsLiterature and Literary Theory
Sociology and Political Science
History
Gender Studies
JournalMen and Masculinities
Journal citation23 (1), pp. 170-193
ISSN1097-184X
1552-6828
Year2018
PublisherSage
Accepted author manuscript
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184x18766578
Web address (URL)http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85045070577&partnerID=MN8TOARS
Publication dates
Published online05 Apr 2018

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