This study examines the relationship between hegemonic masculinity and drunken driving behaviour among male students. Hegemonic masculinity is the most dominant form of masculinity and can be described as an ideological model of what is considered to be a 'real man' (Kimmel 2000:11). According to Wetherall (1996:323) hegemonic masculinity is essentially 'robocop'; tough, assertive, aggressive, all- conquering, cool and big. This research hypothesised that men who drink and drive are much more likely to display characteristics of hegemonic masculinity. Excessive drinking has always been synonymous with student culture and this research focuses on alcohol being viewed as a rite of passage for young male students into adulthood. Socialisation theories are used to explain how patterns of alcohol consumption among individuals are related to the socio-cultural context in which they live. These theories also explain how the ideals of hegemonic masculinity are acquired through the reproduction of norms, values and beliefs in a society or group of people. Thus this research project focuses on how alcohol consumption is considered part of the 'male domain' and due to this, men feel great pressure to drink in order to maintain their masculine identity. The research involved male students at the University of KwaZulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg. Quantitative methods were used in the form of a survey questionnaire. The survey provided statistical information about the incidence of drunken driving relating to masculinity discourse. The sample consisted of male student drivers who drank alcohol. Overall the sample consisted of young adult males with 215 male students participating in the survey with an average age of 22 years. The survey data was statistically analysed using a computer programme known as the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The data was divided into two groups, namely, the responses of sober male drivers and the responses of drunk male drivers. The sober drivers served as the control group while the drunk drivers served as the experimental group. The responses from these two groups were used to conduct independent samples t-tests and chi-square tests in order to assess which group displayed more attributes of hegemonic masculinity and whether or not there was a difference. Student responses from the open-ended questions were included as direct quotes to highlight the findings in the related closed questions. The findings reveal that the male students who drink and drive were more likely to display characteristics of hegemonic masculinity than the sober male drivers. These characteristics included: risk-taking, recklessness, strength, control and independence. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

Masculinity is a relevant and important research priority in South Africa, where problematic constructions of adolescent masculinity are linked with a range of health issues and psychosocial risks. The theoretical basis for this qualitative research study was social constructionism informed by dialogical theory and psychoanalytic accounts of masculinity, including Kristeva's theory of abjection. The overall aim was to explore the lived experience of adolescent boys in order to understand how boys are subjectively positioned in relation to hegemonic standards for 'acceptable' masculinity in social contexts. Following ethical guidelines, boys were purposively sampled for the study from two school settings, a 'multicultural' urban single-sex school and a 'monoracial' rural coeducational secondary. A mixed method approach was used - a photo-narrative visual research method, focus groups and semi-structured interviews within a constructionist paradigm. Visual and verbal data was analysed by means of an integrated quantitative content analysis and qualitative narrative analysis. Findings suggested that hegemonic standards were experienced in different ways by boys in terms of subjective positioning and microcultural context. Peer-groups were identified as having major importance for adolescent boys as a means of validating masculine norms, with sport functioning as an important masculinity marker. A central finding was that peer group norms created the conditions for inclusion and exclusion, which in turn lead to the construction of 'acceptable identities'. Performative 'doing' and symbolic 'having' were identified as two important ways of constructing masculinity - ways that were not always in accord. Another important finding was that boys battled to create even a rough congruence between masculinity norms and an authentic sense of self. There was a convergence around hegemonic norms of toughness, emphasised heterosexuality and displayed risk-taking across contexts; however, these norms were understood in different ways. Non-relational and objectified sex talk was a strong focus of hegemonic masculinity for most boys in the study. Toughness was understood as alternatively verbal, performative or physical, and these differences were linked to racial and cultural differences. Similarly, there were racial and cultural differences in how expressions of masculinity were 'commodified'. Hybridised identities emerged from the multicultural context of School A but not in the monoracial context of School B. Based on the findings that boys occupied several positions simultaneously and experienced contradiction among various identity positions, it was suggested that Connell's masculinity framework provided only a limited macrosociological perspective that neglected the ambiguities of masculine subjectivity. The study identified a range of means by which boys negotiated distances for alternative masculinities outside of hegemonic standards. The collective pressure of meeting an illusory and unattainable standard of masculine acceptability was identified as a source of conflict and anxiety for most of the boys in this study. This anxiety was managed in various ways including finding alternative constructions of masculinity in sub-cultural contexts, religious experience and in traditional cultural practices. These findings have implications for programmes and policies that address issues of masculinity in relation to the challenges and risks facing adolescent boys in South Africa. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

Research on masculinity has become an area of increasing interest internationally and in South Africa. Research in South Africa focussing on masculinity and its impact on violence, sexuality and HIV/Aids has begun to escalate. Researchers and social scientists have come to the realisation of the need to investigate how men feel about being men in a society in which they have been dubbed sexist, violent and rapists. This thesis is an attempt to study the linkages between a culture-of-honour and violence. It does so by conceptualising culture as 'a set of affordances and constraints that channel the expression of coercive means of social control by self and others' (Bond, 2004, p. 62). By examining the subjective experiences of South African men in relation to concepts of masculinity and pride, it is hoped to determine whether honour norms generate hypersensitivity to insults and threats to the reputation of men which encourage men to respond with violence in order to reclaim or save 'face'. This aggression may be directed at other males as well as result in heightened tensions in heterosexual relationships that lead to violence (Cohen & Nisbett, 1994; Cohen & Vandello, 2003). A qualitative methodology was adopted for this investigation and semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight young men from comparable educational backgrounds and differing cultures. These interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. The notion of honour in men's construction of masculinity was evident and reveals commonalities as well as difference in the salience of honour constructs. Future studies are proposed to explore in more detail the relationship between honour and masculinities as well as the role of women in perpetuating honour norms in society. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

The field of masculinity research is an increasingly important area of concern for gender researchers. Contemporary masculinity studies have extensively explored the construction of masculine identities and the range of social processes that generate them. However, these studies have largely focused on non-disabled masculinity and as a consequence have overlooked the construction and subjective experience of disabled masculinity. This research is thus an attempt to address this gap by focusing on the construction and subjective experience of visually impaired adolescent boys. This study consisted of semi structured face to face interviews with visually impaired boys, which were fully transcribed and analysed using the integrated analytic approach of social constructionism and psycho-analysis. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

My journey in writing this dissertation has been both intellectually and emotionally challenging keeping in mind firstly that I am a male scholar (an “outsider”) responding to issues related to maleness, the abuse and oppression of women. Secondly, that I have a personal “sacred story” of the effects of abuse and violence in the home where I grew up; and thirdly, that am strongly a conservative evangelical by faith. However, these three aspects interplay in contributing to my motivation of seeking for a mended world especially for professing Christian women within the evangelical context. The focus of this study is: Examining the social, religious and cultural discourses on “maleness” and its possible influence on domestic violence in South Africa: A critique of some expressions of evangelical theology. The study argues that the predominant social, religious and cultural discourses portray some expressions of evangelical theology. It maintains that our distorted perceptions of God (how we have imagined God as “male”)—hence maleness, has influenced male paradigm of domination among partners. As a result, this has possibly influenced and contributed to domestic violence (DV), abuse and oppression of women within some evangelical context in South Africa. Hence, the prevalence of abuse and oppression of women in the evangelical context, the battle for the humanity and dignity of women as human beings created in God’s image and that female and male are equal in God are motivations that made me pursue this study. Having evaluated the theology and the inherited evangelical traditions, it becomes certain that transformative praxis that counteracts abusive and oppressive ideologies against women among evangelicals is imperative. To achieve this, the study has used an already published case study on interviews conducted among Christian women in the Full Gospel Church (FGC) in Phoenix, Durban. This has been used to facilitate theological observations. In seeking to answer its research question the dissertation examines and critiques the predominant discourses portrayed as some expressions of evangelical theology in chapters four, five and six as analysed from the said case study. The study achieves this purpose by engaging a theological reflection as its methodology through applying a “feminist theology of praxis” as its theoretical framework. Hence, the study proposes alternative evangelical theological discourses and resources for transformative praxis as its focus. The findings are tentative and require future empirical research. Arguing that “Theological statements contain as much truth as they deliver practically in transforming reality” (Sölle quoted in Ackermann 1996:42), the dissertation concludes with addressing the implications of this study by proposing practical ways for transforming men, aiming at deconstructing abusive and oppressive male paradigms. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

The purpose of the study was to explore the needs, attitudes and beliefs of adolescent fathers regarding fatherhood in Limpopo Province and to recommend health promotion initiatives that will address the unique needs of this group to enable them to manage this phase of their lives effectively. The study was conducted in Unit F clinic situated in the Lepelle Nkumpi, a local municipality located in the Capricorn District. Data collection methods: The study utilised qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to recruit adolescent fathers in Lepelle Nkumpi municipality to participate. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews to allow open and free expression. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed. The population of the study was adolescent fathers between 13 and 19 years of age belonging to the Bapedi ethnic group, whose babies’ mothers were also adolescents. Participants’ beliefs and attitudes regarding fatherhood were highlighted. Their unique needs were identified and recommendations made for the health and social development practitioners on measures to address their needs. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)

Previously understood as a fixed and universal set of behaviours social constructionists are now arguing that masculinity is contextual and fluid, reflecting a multiplicity of different understandings. Within any 'cultural environment' the discourse of masculinity, culturally and historically bound, expresses attitudes and behaviours that shape the understanding of what it means to be a man. Adopting a narrative approach and analysis this research explores the stories of six Zulu men in seeking to elicit the aspects of their masculinity and show how these men negotiate an identity 'position' from the social narratives available to them. It was found that while the ideal Adult (responsible) man contrasts with the Young man's ('isoka' ) position there is a consistently hegemonic and patriarchal notion of masculinity.

This research project is based on the key assumption that in order to slow the rate of HIV infections amongst young men (and women) it iscrucial to direct interventions towards changing the constructions of masculinity which put adolescents at risk of HIV infection. As such, this study investigates the constructions of masculinity and masculine identity positions that are evident within the narratives of a small group of young black, white and coloured male university students. The research participants were engaged in a limited number of individual, semi-structured interviews. This report draws attention to the fmdings that have arisen from an analysis of the initial two interviews, the first of which revolved around photographs taken by the participants in order to illustrate what it means to be a young man in contemporary South Africa. An important finding is that there are numerous commonalities as well as differences in the constructions of masculinity that exist amongst these young men. A sense of uncertainty and ambivalence regarding the nature of masculinity is also common. Situated with an emphasised masculinity, various risk-taking behaviours, such as the consumption of alcohol in large quantities, visible affluence, a compulsory heterosexuality, and strength, in diverse forms, are identified as common constructions of masculinity. All of these young men define their sense of masculinity through the adoption of subject positions in relation to and in opposition to young women and other young men. The male peer group is a particularly significant site for masculine identity construction. A further key finding is that a number of these young men are able to reject one or more hegemonic norms of masculinity, yet are apparently able to maintain a sense of masculine acceptability. This finding has direct implications for the design of future research as well as of interventions around HIV/AIDS. As such, this thesis draws attention to the range of strategies utilised by these young men to maintain an adequate sense of masculinity in the face of non-conformance to particular hegemonic norms. Although these young men identify predominantly with the dominant, hegemonic norms of masculinity, there are multiple, often contradictory, subject positions that they occupy in relation to these norms and standards. As a result, this study raises questions for those involvedin similar research as well as for those designing interventions in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

This study is a micro level case study which in addition to attempting to establish whether integration in sport lends itself to the integration of broader society, documents and analyses the integration experiences of two Durban amateur soccer clubs. Because soccer in most South African schools currently forms part of the school curriculum which is relatively neglected when compared with sports such as rugby and cricket, it was necessary to focus on amateur club soccer which caters for the soccer playing aspirations of the youth. Areas focussed on included the ways in which historical, race, class, cultural, ethnic and gender dynamics which operate within South African society influenced the integration process. The integration experiences of players and officials from both clubs were recorded and presented as findings. These findings were analysed against the background of local and international multicultural, sport and gender literature. The two key questions asked were: i) does integration in sport rend itself to integration in society; and ii) does the shared understanding of masculinities within male sports lend itself to integration within male dominated teams. It was established that although integration in sport can assist with the broader integration of South African society, important historical, cultural, class, ethnic and gender dynamics which operate within society have to be negotiated by all role players before a significant iintergation can take place. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban,1997.

This study examines the production of masculinity in the advertisements of South Africa’s two most popular men’s lifestyle magazines, FHM and Men’s Health. I specifically focus on advertisements, as I argue that they play a crucial role in the re‐production of prominent discursive formations. Informed by a poststructuralist framework this study adopts Foucault’s notions of discourse, power and the constitution of the subject. Gender is conceived of within power relations, with a hierarchical relationship between masculinities and femininities. The gendered subject is also viewed as being constantly in process and being constructed performatively through material forms of practice. Focusing on group representations to establish gender hierarchies, I argue that these representations of people are performative acts, hailing the subjects who view them and producing reality through discourse. Hegemonic masculinity, which is argued to be prominent in advertising, is located at the highest point in the gender hierarchy. However, there is not one universal hegemonic masculinity, for it can vary across three discrete political contexts: the local, which is constructed in the immediate face‐to‐face interactions of families, organisations and social structures; the regional, which is constructed at the level of culture or the nation state; and the global, which is constructed in supra‐national locations. In the advertisements of FHM and Men’s Health there is interplay between the latter two as global and regional brands both advertise in these magazines. To investigate the portrayal of masculinities in these publications, this study first undertakes a content analysis to survey the “general landscape” of representation in the advertisements and then performs a critical discourse analysis to uncover “thick description” of the production of masculinity. The content analysis, finds that the advertisements in the sample validate both white and heterosexual forms of masculinity. The sample is comprised mostly of white males, white females and black males, generally proposing forms of hegemonic masculinity, emphasised femininity and complicit masculinity respectively. The representation of white males and black males is different both in terms of the frequency of representations and in the types of representations. I argued that a certain tension inhabits the resulting representations, which try to be inclusive of a multi‐racial South Africa, yet do so within a clearly hierarchical structure. An in‐depth analysis of eight texts, informed by Fairclough’s model of critical discourse analysis and Kress & van Leeuwen’s framework for visual analysis, finds similar results to the content analysis while providing insight into how various discourses produced the representations, particularly within non‐narrative advertisements.