Department of Andragogy (Adult Education)

Gender identity has been one of the most important aspects in studies on education and learning, but remains rather neglected in adult education. However, it is generally accepted that gender identity is largely socially constructed through social mechanisms. In times of crises, this process tends to become even more specific,
which leads us to our main research question - how gender identity, created among young males in the war period in the 1990’s in ex-Yugoslavia, generates resistance toward some aspects of learning that are perceived as inadequate (Veselić &
Popović, 2008). We agree with Jones (2006), who claims that militarism in recent
historical times has been essential to the construction of hegemonic masculinities that emphasize competition, physical hardness, conformity and a sense of elite membership. Internalization of such disciplinary technologies (Foucault, 1988) that transmit and maintain discourse creates a need for confirmation and reproduction of gender identity. The research focuses on the process of how hyper masculinity, that
was the dominant discourse during 90’s, created resistance among male learners who, we believe, tend to reject, or simply perceive as unattractive, learning aspects (certain aims, content and method) that are seen as feminine. This resistance extends
not only to typically female activities, but also to some characteristics of learning that belong to female culture, including public exposure of vulnerability.