Changing men in Southern Africa

Despite claims in some quarters that men are in crisis, in southern Africa they still dominate the domestic and public realms. But the power of men is not fixed, nor is it the case that all men share the spoils of dominance equally. Changing Men in Southern Africa looks at the different kinds of masculinity that exist in southern Africa, including white surfers, African lifesavers, Afrikaans-speaking supporters of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB), the Soweto Flying Squad, gay men, migrant labourers, African gold miners, unemployed youth, and black working class men. It investigates the ways in which these masculinities continually change: in some cases they accommodate challenge in order to preserve privilege, or respond to pressures with various kinds of violence. But in other situations, they embrace principles of democracy, peace and gender equity. Distancing itself from biological explanations of male behaviour, Changing Men demonstrates that dominant interpretations of masculinity still sanction violence against women, gay people, younger men and those belonging to other racial and ethnic groups. But it also shows that men are vulnerable, and that they are increasingly contributing to more equitable gender relations.