AN EVALUATION OF THE CONCEPT OF MASCULINITY IN AFRICAN FEMINIST LITERATURE BY TWO MALE AND TWO FEMALE WRITERS
Abstract
Purpose of Study: In this study, the researcher examined how male and female authors have presented societal expectations, the idea of masculinity, and the underrepresentation of male characters.
Problem Statement: The area of literature and cultural studies has continued to address gender inequality and feminist arguments. While similar studies have been done, it seems the identities of male characters have frequently been disregarded in favor of the portrayal of female characters, particularly in feminist literature.
Methodology: The study was limited to four African feminist texts, two by male authors and two by female authors. Textual analysis was applied in analyzing the thematic concerns related to the study objectives. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the four texts; Margaret A. Ogola’s The River and the Source, Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood, Nuruddin Farah’s From a Crooked Rib and Imaginings of Sand by André Brink. The researcher was interested in analyzing the ways in which writers were inspired by different waves of feminism globally, gender, and writing style, have depicted male identity in their works.
Finding: Despite the fact that literary authors have portrayed male characters in their works, this study focused on how feminist African writers perceive masculinity, the underrepresentation of male characters in their works, and how this representation is influenced by societal expectations. The research study also planned to mobilize social agents, such as the government, educators, parents, and society, to promote gender equality in contemporary society. For the purpose of research analysis, this study combined the feminism theory and the deconstruction theory.
Conclusion: From the research findings, it is evident that; the concept of masculinity has been portrayed with less emphasis. Similarly, male characters have also been underrepresented and this is because, while the male characters remain constant, the female characters have continued to be presented with progressive characteristics. Additionally, the feminist authors have been influenced by the social ideologies, which permit male dominancy over the female characters.
Recommendation: From the conclusions made from the analysis of this research data, not only have the male characters been overlooked in these feminist texts but also, they have been negatively stereotyped. Hence, the feminist authors should address the issue of gender as a concern to both men and women in today’s society.
Keywords: Masculinity, African Feminist Literature, Gender Representation, Textual Analysis, Identity Construction
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