Power and race in Black and White men’s perceptions and experiences of manhood.

Abstract

Traditional masculinity delineates a hegemonic set of beliefs and expectations about manhood in the United States that are most applicable to White men and marginalize men of color. In this study, we used an intersectional, qualitative framework to examine the role of race and power in shaping Black (n ϭ 11) and White (n ϭ 12) men's perceptions and experiences of manhood. Analysis of focus group data revealed two ways in which power was linked to manhood. First, men expressed that manhood was linked with responsibility-however, Black men were responsible to a wider network of individuals (e.g., extended family, the Black community) than White men, who were primarily responsible to their immediate family. Nevertheless, both groups of men perceived that responsibility provided them with power and status, but was also precarious. Second, although both Black and White men acknowledged their gender privilege, they simultaneously positioned themselves as targets of oppression, but in different ways. Together, our results suggest that whereas White men's experiences of manhood are consistent with traditional masculinity, Black men's experiences are more relational and interdependent in nature, reflecting racial power dynamics and sociohistorical context. Our intersectional approach enabled us to critically analyze race for both Black and White men, thereby naming and interrogating Whiteness in experiences of manhood and destabilizing its status as normative. Our results have implications for researchers and mental health practitioners, calling them to critically consider the role of race, power, and privilegeincluding Whiteness-when engaging with masculinity and manhood. What is the significance of this article for the general public?Our study of Black and White men suggests that socially dominant expectations of manhood are racialized and most applicable to White men; Black men combine this traditional masculinity with a sense of responsibility to the extended family and This article was published Online First September 10, 2020.

A relational-cultural framework for promoting healthy masculinities.

“…For example, interventions should be mindful of the complexity that boys and men harm through and are harmed by hegemonic masculinity as well as forces of oppression (Jewkes et al, 2015; Levant & Pryor, 2020). This highlights a need to balance accountability for men’s harmful behaviors with a trauma-informed approach that does not shame or ignore boys and men who are survivors of violence (Brush & Miller, 2019; Davies et al, 2010), as well as an intersectional lens that attends to power dynamics among boys and men, such as that of race (Brassel et al, 2020). While we consider healthy masculinities to be imperative, there is not one universal expression of healthy masculinity.…”

An integrative literature review and critical reflection of intersectionality theory

“…The acceptance of a dominant ideology from a position of power imposes norms, roles, expectations, and standards onto other groups in a position of less power. This first tenet of intersectionality iterates processes in which dominant ideologies contribute to multiple systems of oppression that are mutually interconnected in upholding one another to maintain social order within the larger matrix of domination (Brassel et al, 2020; Kaushik & Walsh, 2018; Wesp et al, 2018).…”

Intersectionality in psychology: Translational science for social justice.

“…The methodological diversity reflected in these projects is striking. Kilgore et al (2020); Brassel, Settles, et al (2020); and Singh and Bullock (2020) use critical qualitative methods to explore intersectionality in individual lives and cultural representation. Coles and Pasek (2020), Albuja al.…”

“…What does hegemonic masculinity look like in intersectional relief? Brassel, Settles, et al’s (2020) contribution to the special issue offers an answer to this question via qualitative examination of how racial power and privilege shape both Black and White men’s perceptions and experiences of manhood in the contemporary United States. Brassel and colleagues found that the intersection of race and gender actually produced different and similar experiences of manhood, once again reminding psychologists of Cole’s (2009) emphasis on continuities as well as divergences in the study of intersectional phenomena.…”

“…The methodological diversity reflected in these projects is striking. Kilgore et al (2020); Brassel, Settles, et al (2020); and Singh and Bullock (2020) use critical qualitative methods to explore intersectionality in individual lives and cultural representation. Coles and Pasek (2020), Albuja et al (2020), and Huffman et al (2020) use more traditional psychological tools, including experimentation, to ask intersectionality-informed questions that advance knowledge of stereotyping, discrimination, and well-being, particularly for nonprototypical and multiply marginalized populations.…”