Journal of Iranian Social Studies

The Multiplicity of Youth Masculine Identities: New Configurations of Boyhood Among Adolescents in the Someh Sara City

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Maziyar Nikdel kelashami

PhD student in Cultural Sociology, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/jss.2026.2089652.1947
Abstract
Background and aim: Contemporary gender identities and patterns of masculinity have undergone profound transformations that require precise empirical investigation. Accordingly, the present study was conducted with the aim of analyzing emerging patterns of young masculinities and discovering novel ways of redefining boyish identity among male adolescents in Someh Sara, in order to gain a deep understanding of the hidden layers of their life-world.
Data and method: This study was conducted using a qualitative approach and the thematic coding method. The research participants consisted of 13 eighteen-year-old male adolescents residing in Someh Sara, who were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected and analyzed through in-depth, semi-structured individual interviews.
Findings: Data analysis led to the identification of seven dynamic types of Youth Masculinities: the "handsome and fit boy," the "charismatic and center-of-the-crowd boy," the "intellectual and cultural critic boy," the "calm and rational boy," the "critic of boyish groups boy," the "capital-oriented and realistic boy," and the "self-made boy." The findings indicate that masculinity in this region has distanced itself from traditional patterns and become diversified.
Conclusion: Youth masculinities has transformed into a dynamic set of lifestyles, aesthetic, mental, and ethical styles that are shaped in interaction with new media, family, school, and social networks. Focusing on their everyday experiences, the new generation of boys is actively redefining the boundaries of boyish identity and their novel ways of presence in the social world.

Keywords

Young Masculinities Identity
Youth Masculinities
Aesthetic Interventions
Symbolic Capital
Thematic analysis
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Journal of Iranian Social Studies
Volume 19, Issue 3
Summer 2025
Pages 84-110

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