Performing hard money: monetary policy, metaphor and masculinity in the making of EMU

Since the global financial crisis, relationships between gender and political economy have received renewed attention, emphasising change as well continuities. Similarly, a recent return of attention to interrelation masculinity neoliberalism has stressed historicity specificity in nature these relationships. However, question how articulations are socially politically made within contested field economic governance not yet attention. This paper seeks contribute literature with concept gendered performative agency, which can be used specify link masculinities economy, inform analysis important politico-economic events. Empirically, it contributes study making monetary policy principles European Monetary Union (EMU), analysing agency governors German Bundesbank their public discourse from 1988 1998. It argues that by mobilising metaphors disciplinary performances identity, fostered legitimacy for positions. Thus, performance contributed performing shaping EMU.