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Masculinities
in Contemporary Africa (2005) |
The struggles for social equality between men and women remain
an area of continuing relevance to any quest for a holistic
understanding of economy, society, culture and politics in
contemporary Africa. And yet, the general, instinctive
assumption has persisted, even in otherwise knowledgeable
circles, that any reference to gender is little more than a code
word for raising concerns that are specific to the interests of
women. In a bid to correct this erroneous instinct and, in so
doing, open new frontiers of reflection on gender issues in
Africa, CODESRIA has decided to focus the 2005 session of its
Gender Institute on masculinities in terms of the contemporary
patterns of the projection of masculinity, the factors and
trends that shape masculine behaviour in Africa, the modes by
which these masculinities express themselves in different
spheres, and the implications of contemporary masculinities for
the continent-wide struggles for gender equality. The decision
of CODESRIA to focus on masculinities as the theme for the 2005
Gender Institute has come at a most opportune moment. This is
because the theme of masculinities has recently began to enjoy a
revival in the social sciences, most often tied to discourses
around identity politics, the all-pervasive youth involvement in
armed conflicts, the macho culture which the environment of
armed conflicts and urban violence has spurned, the global
spread of an American/Americanised urban youth culture, and the
social consequences of economic crises and structural
adjustment.
To be sure, the interest in masculinity in Africa dates back a
long time, connected to the onset of European imperial forays
into Africa and the accompanying racialist caricatures of the
African (male) which some of the earliest anthropologists
attempted, under the guise of a scientific enterprise, to
typologise in their description of the quintessential African
personality. Many of these racist caricatures continue to be
refracted into discourses and policies around the world, as well
as in the images of the African which are portrayed. But beyond
the racialist characterisation of masculinity, every African
society invests considerably in the socialisation of male and
female members of the community in ways which attribute
masculine and feminine values, complete with formal and informal
rituals and rites that mark a coming of age. The notion of what
it means to be a “man” and a “woman” and the gender division of
labour that is built on them, both historically and
contemporaneously, has been the object of an extensive critique
by African feminists in an environment characterised by
patriarchy and widespread male chauvinism. This critique has
been fed into discussions and debates about masculinities and
femininities in useful ways that have contributed to the
advancement of knowledge and which must not be conflated with
the racialist anthropology that accompanied, and even justified
the European imperial project. This is not, of course, to
suggest that the feminist critique is not without its weaknesses
– indeed, some of the on-going contestations in the debate on
gender is linked to arguments about the validity in an African
historical context of the Western feminist perspectives that
predominate in the literature.
Masculinities are founded on certain assumptions about the role
and responsibilities of a male member of a household or
community. However, the validity of the assumptions is
repeatedly questioned by changes in context and circumstance
which, in the most dramatic cases, result in the reversal of
roles between men and women within the household and the larger
society or, at a minimum, a more balanced sharing of duties and
responsibilities brought about by structural shifts in the
economy, a re-ordering of social relations, or
re-interpretations of “custom” and “tradition”. In other words,
the foundations on which masculinities have been built have
regularly shifted over time and in different stages, although
the overarching ideology of male power may not always have
reflected these shifts or done so rapidly enough or
comprehensively. Some of the changes which have been most
frequently cited in recent times include the loss of economic
power by males mainly drawn from among the working poor, the
increase in the purchasing power of women through the spread of
formal and informal income-generating activities, and the
emergence of female-headed households. These developments have
had implications for the shaping of contemporary masculinities
that have been the object of many anecdotal observations but
which deserve to be reflected upon much more closely. It is
proposed to undertake this reflection in the context of on-going
theoretical debates in gender and feminists studies, including
particularly the discussion around the validity of “Western”
notions of feminism, gender and the gender division of labour to
Africa.
Participants in the 2005 Gender Institute will be invited to,
among other things, explore various aspects and dimensions of
masculinities in contemporary Africa, beginning with the
conceptual challenges which are posed. The wealth of empirical,
theoretical, and methodological issues involved in the study of
masculinities, including the extent to which it can be
understood and researched as a category independent of
femininities, will be explored by participants in the Institute.
So too will the range of factors that account for the changing
content and context of masculinities. The extent to which
inter-generational differences could be observed in the
contemporary expressions of masculinities in Africa will be
examined, as will the indicators of changing forms of
masculinities as captured by language, dressing, musical genre
and general discourse. The many different modes of mobilisation
of masculinities, including the specialist magazines published
for male audiences, the types of values which they seek to
project and the reasons for doing so will be discussed at the
Institute. Transnational influences in the shaping of
masculinities in Africa in the current phase of globalisation
will be explored. Participants will also be encouraged to
explore comparative issues in masculinities in historical,
spatial and ideological terms. The implications of contemporary
masculinities for the struggle for gender equality and for a
civic identity and culture in Africa will be a concern which
will underpin the reflections at the Institute.
The
objectives of the 2005 Gender
Institute are to:
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Provide a platform to African scholars with an interest in
undertaking theoretical and empirical research on
masculinities in Africa;
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Familiarise researchers with the latest literature in the
field and through this help consolidate an African perspective
on the theoretical debates taking place;
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Sharpen researchers’ gender analytic skills, as well as
promote an African feminist methodology in the study of
masculinities;
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Encourage African knowledge production on masculinities and,
in so doing, contribute to the emergence of a critical mass of
networked intellectuals with an active research interest in
deepening research on this theme.
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