MASCULINITY, DUALISMS AND HIGH-TECHNOLOGY

This paper explores the working out in daily life of certain classic dualisms of western thought. It focuses on reason/non-reason and transcendence/immanence and on their influence in structuring social relations in and around high-technology sectors in Cambridge, England. The significance of the masculine poles of these dualisms for the characteristics of these sectors and for male scientists' relationship to them is explored, as are some of the associated tensions in the relationship between the spheres of 'home' and 'paid work'. A particular high-tech masculinity is being reinforced, resistance to which seems to lead primarily to a reinforcement of the dualisms. The conclusions consider some of the implications of these findings both for these sectors and for life in academe.