"Are trans men the manliest of men?" Gender practices, trans masculinity and mardānegī in contemporary Iran. Issue 3 (2nd April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Saeidzadeh, Zara
• Is Part Of: Journal of gender studies. Volume 29:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 295
• Page End: 309
• Publication Date: 2020-04-02
• Subjects: Trans men -- Iran -- Surgery -- Sex change -- Gender practices -- Masculinities; Feminism -- Periodicals; Women -- Periodicals; Gender identity -- Periodicals; Sex role -- Periodicals; Sexual orientation -- Periodicals; Féminisme -- Périodiques; Femmes -- Périodiques; Identité sexuelle -- Périodiques; Rôle selon le sexe -- Périodiques; Orientation sexuelle -- Périodiques; 305.3
• DOI: 10.1080/09589236.2019.1635439
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0958-9236

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In this article, I examine how trans men who undergo or plan to undergo medical transition construe their masculinity or mardānegī (I follow IJMES's transliteration guide – Persian to English) in Persian language, through certain gender practices that manifest their manhood as manly, real and psychologically well. I argue that trans men in Iran practice masculinity in ways that is not only in strong entanglement with women but also is distanced from non-trans heterosexual men, trans women and gay men. Drawing on 14 semi-structured interviews with trans men in Iran as part of a bigger project on sex change in contemporary Iran, I explain that trans men's masculinity in Iran is a localized, traditional-modern kind of trans masculinity that distinguishes itself from other gender groups due to trans men's specificity of gender location.