Description
Book SynopsisBecoming Men is the story of 32 boys from Alexandra, one of Johannesburg's largest townships, over a period of twelve seminal years in which they negotiate manhood and masculinity. Psychologist and academic Malose Langa documents in close detail what it means to be a young black man in contemporary South Africa.
The boys discuss a range of topics including the impact of absent fathers, relationships with mothers, siblings and girls, school violence, academic performance, homophobia, gangsterism, unemployment and, in one case, prison life.
Deep ambivalence, self-doubt and hesitation emerge in their approach to alternative masculinities premised on non-violent, non-sexist and non-risk-taking behaviour. Many of the boys appear simultaneously to comply with and oppose the prevalent norms, thereby exposing the difficulties of negotiating the multiple voices of masculinity.
Providing a rich interpretation of how emotional processes affect black adolescent males, Langa suggests interventions and services to support and assist them, especially in reducing high-risk behaviours generally associated with hegemonic masculinity. This is essential reading for students, researchers and scholars of gender studies who wish to understand manhood and masculinity in South Africa. Psychologists, youth workers, lay counsellors and teachers who work with adolescent boys will also find it invaluable.
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Chapter 1 What makes a man a man?
- Chapter 2 Reshaping masculinities - Understanding the lives of adolescent boys
- Chapter 3 Backdrop to Alex - South African townships and stories in context
- Chapter 4 Absent fathers, present mothers
- Chapter 5 Pressures to perform - Tsotsi boys vs academic achievement
- Chapter 6 Double standards - Dating, sex and girls
- Chapter 7 Defying homophobia: 'This is who I am, finish and klaar'
- Chapter 8 Young fathers and the world of work
- Chapter 9 'Im still hopeful, still positive' - Holding onto a dream
- Chapter 10 Safe spaces - Listening, hearing, action
- Bibliography Notes
- Index
