Return to search

The invention of moffie life in Cape Town, South Africa

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Anthropology) / This dissertation is an ethnography of the figure of the moffie as a performance of same sex
desire amongst gender non-conforming men, as it is celebrated in the 'coloured' ('coloured' is
a constructed racial category, similar to 'white' and 'black' designated onto South Africans
during the system of legislated racial segregation) townships of Cape Town. In this dissertation
I demonstrate that the moffie is central to the lives of gender non-conforming men living in the
'coloured' townships of Cape Town. Through historical and contemporary ethnography, I
show how moffie life is a representation of same sex desire amongst men that is highly visible.
I reveal how moffie life is socially sanctioned through feminine self-styling, embodied through
that of the gay hairdresser, annual gay beauty pageant competitions and Gay Pride events.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uwc/oai:etd.uwc.ac.za:11394/6214
Date January 2018
CreatorsCloete, Allanise
ContributorsBecker, Heike
PublisherUniversity of the Western Cape
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
RightsUniversity of the Western Cape

Page generated in 0.0023 seconds