Masculinity and monasticism

an exploration of the ways in which traditional hegemonic masculinity was reconciled with the challenges of monasticism

Abstract

The Late Antique and early medieval periods saw the growth of monastic communities in the West, as ideas about asceticism and cenobitic monasticism spread from Egypt. At the same time, a strict system of hierarchical gender identity operated in the Roman Empire, in which masculinity, and in particular, elite masculinity, was dominant. This article will explore the ways in which monasticism initially provided a threat to the hegemonic masculinity of its day before considering how it adapted, particularly considering differences in dress, labour and the public voice. It will conclude that through these adaptations, the two concepts were largely reconciled, allowing those who identified into the masculine elite to adopt monastic lifestyles with enthusiasm, eventually becoming dominant in monastic communities at the expense of women and non-elite men.