Of men and cyborgsthe construction of masculinity in contemporary U.S. science fiction cinema

Abstract

This PhD dissertation argues that science fiction cinema is a distinguished genre in the exploration of male identities in the U.S.A. Particularly, it attempts to illustrate that images of men and male cyborgs in contemporary science fiction films effectively suggest gender and identity concerns and can, therefore, be taken as cultural referents. This study of masculinity establishes four general patterns: the �menaced man�, the �conquering man�, the �artificial man� and the �virtual man�. These dominant trends of representation mirror, in a higher or lesser degree, society�s perception of gender, which inevitably affect the representation of masculinity. For such a study, four key films are analysed: Spielberg�s The War of the Worlds (2005), Baird�s Star Trek. Nemesis (2002), Cameron�s Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and the Wachowskis� The Matrix (1999). These films show the construction of masculinity in science fiction cinema while opening debates on the degree of permissiveness of the genre.