dc.description.abstract |
This article examines how patriarchal ideology and mo
dernity determine and influence the
performance of masculinity in Euphrase Kezilahabi’s
Kichwa Maji.
The article argues that
various circumstances determine and influence men’s masculinity in the novel. Robert
Connell’s theory of masculinity assists in rea
ding and analysing male and female
characters in
Kichwa Maji
. The analysis affirms that the novel portrays m
asculinity as a
socio
-
cultural construct, which changes according to circumstances. The novel shows that
this construct
is deeply connected with ind
ividuals’ ideologies such as traditional patriarchal
and Western ideologies. The novel depicts a deep
-
seated confrontation between the older
and younger generation influenced by the two different ideologies.
In the novel, the
characters reveal that the tra
ditional set
-
up determines the men’s masculinity as individuals
cannot construct masculine identities outside the socially sanctioned patriarchal codes of
conduct. The novel also shows that education and position of privilege influence and
determine the co
nstruction of masculinity. Th
rough characterisation, the novel builds a case
that,
although society constructs masculinity in certain ways, masculinity is not a fixed but
fluid construct as the men in the story hold multiple and often conflicting masculine
positions. |
en_US |