I am currently engaged in research focused on masculinities and the private security industry in Ottawa, Canada.

I am investigating the following questions:

How are masculinities embodied and practiced within the context of a globalized understanding of insecurity, security and the 'risk society'?

How do masculinity, security and other factors such as age, racialization, class, and citizenship status intersect within this industry?

What is the relationship between masculinities and ideas of security and the 'risk society?'

Much current research in masculinities focuses on concepts such as hegemonic masculinities and hyper-masculinities as well as specific practices of masculinities that are defined by career choices. Security work is dominated by men, masculine in its character, as well as productive of gender in broader social structures. Private security is a rapidly expanding field of work that is theorized at the macro-sociological level as an integral component of privatization that accompanies neo-liberal political policies within globalized capitalism. My research will look at the production of masculinities at the level of the individual and explore how their practices influence these broader social changes.

My supervisor for this research is Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly.