ABSTRACT This article explores the relevance of global/local to
understanding ways of ‘doing boy/girl’ (Butler, 1999; Connell, 2005;
Haywood and Mac an Ghiall, 2003) and the contribution that visual
sociology can make to this. Using quantitative and qualitative methods to
analyse 10–12 year olds’ texts and drawings, the article concludes that
despite the highly globalized and rapidly changing nature of the society,
Ireland is still very far away from a situation where: ‘What gender
identity is, and how it is expressed, has become itself a matter of multiple
options’ (Giddens, 1991: 81). It suggests that globalization supports
hegemonic ways of ‘doing boy’ and that global elements can be used to
extend the repertoire of ways of ‘doing girl’. It also suggests that
drawings can provide insights into the way in which global idioms
become part of young people’s perception of each other and their world.
KEYWORDS : doing boy/girl, gender, global, Ireland, local, qualitative, quantitative, visual