Background:
In this paper, I use CDA to analyze documentary films about physically disabled IDF veterans and explore the potential linkage between disabled masculinity and independence. I focus on the tension of needing assistance and facing a newly limited body. The main theoretical framework is masculinity studies and critical disability studies (Oliver, 1990; Shakespeare, 2006).

According to literature, some key characteristics of ‘hegemonic masculinity' (Connell, 1995) are associated with activity and agency over the body, leading to control and independence, which are essential characteristics of normative scripts of masculinity (Duncanson, 2015; Shuttleworth et al., 2012). Therefore, men who perform physical activities have access to important spheres associated with the production of masculine identity, mainly the ability to be bodily active (Barrett, 2014).

By intersecting masculinity and disability studies (Gerschick & Miller, 1997; King et al., 2020; Shuttleworth, 2012), this paper explores the effect of independence on masculinity, participation, and rehabilitation. The paper contributes to the growing knowledge of the intersection of disability and masculinity, an under-explored issue in masculinity studies (Cserni & Essig, 2019).

Methodology:

The paper uses CDA to analyze documentary films about disabled IDF veterans climbing mountains worldwide. It reflects on the language used and the introspections shared by participants to demonstrate the different dilemmas of physically disabled men regarding independence, participation, and rehabilitation.

Results:

As technology and medical devices improve, they seem to provide greater independence and self-sufficiency for veterans with a disability. As such, the potential dilemma between masculinity and disability, specifically dependence and assistance, may become less distinct. Moreover, the depiction of assistance and dependence in the movies may lead to a more complex discussion about disability and masculinity. This discussion can contribute to knowledge about identity and disability and to potential rehabilitation measures for the independence and participation of men with disabilities.

References:

Barrett, T. (2014). Disabled Masculinities: A Review and Suggestions for Further Research. Masculinities & Social Change, 3. 

https://doi.org/10.17583/msc.2014.922

Connell, R. (1995). Masculinities. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Cserni, R. T., & Essig, L. W. (2019). Twenty Years of Men and Masculinities by the Numbers: An Analysis of Publications and Article Keywords. Men and Masculinities, 22(1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X18805349

Duncanson, C. (2015). Hegemonic Masculinity and the Possibility of Change in Gender Relations. Men and Masculinities, 18(2), 231–248. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X15584912

Gerschick, T. J., & Miller, A. S. (1997). Gender Identities at the Crossroads of Masculinity and Physical Disability. In Toward a New Psychology of Gender. Routledge.

King, T. L., Shields, M., Sojo, V., Daraganova, G., Currier, D., O'Neil, A., King, K., & Milner, A. (2020). Expressions of masculinity and associations with suicidal ideation among young males. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1), 228–228. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-2475-y

Oliver, M. (1990). The politics of disablement. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan.

Shakespeare, T. (2006). The Social Model of Disability. In L. J. Davis (Ed.), The Disability Studies Reader (pp. 2--197). Psychology Press.

Shuttleworth, R., Wedgwood, N., & Wilson, N. J. (2012). The Dilemma of Disabled Masculinity. Men and Masculinities, 15(2), 174–194. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X12439879