ABSTRACT
Notions of masculinity and womanhood lie at the heart of gender relations. In particular, masculinity has functioned as a powerful tool of patriachy. Work which has stressed the idea of masculinity as something which is socially constructed rather than biologically determined1 has fuelled research and discussion in this area.2 It is argued that the elements relevant to the construction of masculinity are historically, geographically and culturally specific.3 This assertion comprises the starting point for what follows-a micro study which explores some of the factors and mechanisms which informed male identity in interwar dockland Liverpool.
