States of Gender Police: on the Reproduction of Gendered Individuals

Abstract

This article adopts Bourdieu's conceptualization of cultural capital as a reality that operates in three states to sustain the idea that gender is another reality that operates through three dimensions. We construct the notion of “gender police” and propose conceiving gender as a form of social coercion that functions in three states: incorporated, objectified, and institutionalized. Based on examples, some drawn from our own research, others from the literature, the goal is to support the paper’s analytical and conceptual proposal while arguing that the practical effectiveness of what we call the “gender police” resides in work that consists in presenting the social order of gender as evident through gendered practices, objects, and institutions. We conclude by defending the theoretical and practical importance of integrating the aforementioned three states into the analysis of gender structures.