Abstract
This study examines Barbara Kimenye’s imagination of boyhood masculinities in the
selected adventure stories from the Moses series. It is based on the understanding that
gender is a social construct. The Research Report contributes to children’s literature and
gender scholarships. In particular, through textual analysis of primary texts and gender
related theoretical framework, I highlight various categories of masculine behaviour
based on boy characters’ power, control and popularity at Mukibi Educational Institute –
Kimenye’s fictitious boarding school in Moses series. I tease out complexities of both
individuals’ and groups’ notions of manliness and how they manifest in various locales. I
argue that there are many ways of being a boy.
I also highlight how the author deploys satire to imagine a boarding school and how this
space allows construction and performance of specific boyhood masculinities. In
addition, I highlight Kimenye’s depiction of corporal punishment and family relatives
and how these also allow for construction and performance of particular man-like
behaviour by her boy characters.
Kimenye’s imagination of girlhood masculinities is also explored by examining boy
characters’ stereotypes on girls and how through Sekabanja – a girl character – the author
manages to deconstruct this by portraying her [Sekabanja] as behaving as expected of a
boy. In addition, I highlight Kimenye’s representation of enactment of gender inequalities
in a mixed sex school. I also underline how illustrations also participate in the
imagination of girlhood masculinities. I argue that by portraying a girl – Sekabanja – as
behaving as expected of boys if not better, Kimenye is highlighting gender as a social
construct and participating in deconstruction of stereotypes on girls and women through a
literary technique.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/7419 |
| Date | 05 November 2009 |
| Creators | Chabari, Kimathi Emmanuel |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf |
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