The impossibility of masculinity : sexual violence and black lesbianism in post-apartheid South Africa

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The construction of masculinity in post-apartheid South Africa is influenced by a number of historical, cultural and environmental factors. In a heteronormative patriarchal society, men have become obsessed with defining their masculine identity as something unrelated to homosexuality. Heterosexuality has therefore become ingrained in the identity of many men in South Africa. The fear of being labelled as homosexual has consequently led men to engage in harmful ritualized performances that are seen as contributing to the establishment of their manhood. Through this men are encouraged to publically display acts of violence – against women and other men – in order to demonstrate their adherence to the requirements of a successful masculinity. Furthermore, the attainment of a successful masculinity is dependent on the high levels of sexual violence against women in some communities in South Africa, and this highlights the impossibility of masculinity without violence.This study looks specifically at sexual violence against black lesbian women in order to show how current forms of successful masculinity in South Africa are unattainable. The primary research question demonstrates this, and it aims to show how the relationship between black lesbianism and heteronormative masculinity in South Africa contributes to the impossibility of achieving an idealized version of masculinity. The secondary research question will assist in understanding this by looking into how sexual violence against black lesbian women can be perceived as a way for men to attain and stabilize a heterosexual masculinity. This study draws on four theories of rape to account for the prevalence of sexual violence in South Africa. The pervasiveness of sexual violence in South Africa is also used in the study to demonstrate how the perpetration of rape is an ongoing process because of men's attempts to prove their conformity to a masculine identity.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University