Oppressed Men: Depictions of Male Troubles and A Critique of Hegemonic Masculinity in West African Women’s Writing (1970-2017)

Bouanani, Fatiha (2022) Oppressed Men: Depictions of Male Troubles and A Critique of Hegemonic Masculinity in West African Women’s Writing (1970-2017). Doctor of Philosophy thesis, University of Liverpool.

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Abstract

‘Oppressed Men: Depictions of Male Troubles and A Critique of Hegemonic Masculinity in West African Women’s Writing (1970-2017)’ analyses fictional depictions of hegemonic masculinity in Anglophone and Francophone postcolonial literature written by Sub-Saharan female writers, namely, Flora Nwapa’s Idu, Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood, Mariama Bậ’s Scarlet Song, Ama Ata Aidoo’s Changes: A Love Story, Ayobami Adebayo’s Stay With Me. My study explores the ways in which constructions of masculinities in the novels engage with Sub-Saharan ideals of patriarchy, traditions, and foreign forces, such as colonialism and modernity across time. I investigate male characters’ possibility of maintaining a balance between traditional West African roles as husbands and fathers and new alternative modes of masculinity. I also examine depictions of convergent and divergent forms of hegemonic masculinity in each context from the pre-colonial to the contemporary period as well as their detrimental effects on male characters and on marginalised/subordinated masculinities, thus, offering an alternative perception of hegemonic masculinity. Drawing on masculinity studies and postcolonial theory, this thesis identifies the complexity and constancy of Sub-Saharan ideals of hegemonic masculinity across time. I argue that hegemonic masculinity is presented as a problematic position as manifested through the psychological and emotional afflictions of the male characters under study, such as anxiety, bewilderment, and humiliation. Hegemonic masculinity is shown to be persistently and inextricably related to pre-colonial patriarchy and traditions; whereas it firmly resists change brought by colonialism and its aftermath. While highlighting recurrent and emerging tensions in Sub-Saharan masculinity, my project recognizes the similarities and dissimilarities in the textual as well as the contextual constructions of masculinities across the novels. Hence, my research contributes and expands postcolonial studies as well as the existing scholarship on masculinity in the selected narratives. By analysing depictions of hegemonic masculinity, my project extends debates about African women’s portrayal of men, seeking the possibility to push beyond a study of masculinism. With this aim in my mind, I hope to encourage a better, more nuanced engagement with hegemonic masculinity in African literature and women’s writing, in particular.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy)
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Histories, Languages and Cultures
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	16 Aug 2023 14:47
Last Modified:	23 Jan 2024 11:25
DOI:	10.17638/03170228
Supervisors:	Loh, Lucienne Forsdick, Charles
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3170228