Primary School Boys Validating and Resisting Hegemonic Masculinities: “I Don’t Appreciate Violence at all. I Stop the Violence.”

Moosa, Shaaista

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-69988-8_3

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…They are often able to negotiate their masculinities by presenting different versions of themselves and accommodating and resisting culturally exalted masculinities within the contexts they find themselves (Anderson, 2009). Young people are also often actively engaged in constructing and criticising hegemonic masculinity (Bhana & Mayeza 2019;2021;Moosa, 2021;Way et al, 2014). Hegemonic masculinities here refer to the prevailing dominant cultural norms of masculinity in society; for example, the dominant view of boys and men as being brave, strong, aggressive and resilient (Langa, 2020).…”

Section: Theories Of Masculinities In Relation To School Violencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is, as yet, only a limited understanding of the complexities related to gender violence among boys and among men. Moosa (2021) studied how South African primary school boys validate or resist hegemonic masculinities, finding that while some boys do speak out against violence, they often still participate in violence, seeing it as a necessary masculine performance. This article foregrounds the perspectives of primary school boys and examines how and why they resort to participating in violence, even though they recognise its harmfulness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Boys’ role in life is to protect and defend” Primary school boys’ constructions of masculinity within a context of violence

2024

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Boys have been identified as the main perpetrators of school violence and bullying, evoking debates on masculinities. However, boys are not always the active producers of violence. This article examines the ways in which primary school boys who otherwise denounce violence explain their participation in it. The data draw from a more extensive qualitative study that focuses on the experiences of school violence among boys at a primary school in KwaZulu-Natal. The study sample comprised a group of thirteen Grade 7 boys. The primary method of data production was through semi-structured individual interviews. The study draws on theories of masculinities that regard them as multiple, fluid and socially constructed. The findings show that although the boys in the study condemned school violence, many could not escape being part of it. As boys, they felt compelled to protect and defend themselves, their families, girls and their friends. In their efforts to resist and mediate violence, they often resorted to violent methods as part and parcel of their masculine constructions. This article argues that it is necessary to focus on boys' perspectives and to shift the focus on violence from problematic individual behaviour to an understanding of the complex social and cultural contexts within which they navigate the everyday world of school. Towards this end, the conflicting implicit and explicit demands on boys sustained through social and institutional structures must be reworked.

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