Young masculinities: an ethnography of 8–9-year-old primary school boys=Ubudoda bezingane: ucwaningokuzimbandakanya Lwabafana Bamabanga Aphansi Abaneminyaka Yobudala Eyisi-8 kuya Kweyisi-9.

Abstract

In this ethnographic study I set out to examine the construction of masculinities among 8–9-yearold primary school boys. This study was conducted in a racially diverse schooling context comprised of a mixed class of low-middle and low income Indian and black boys in KwaZulu- Natal, South Africa. A purposive sampling method was employed to select 25 boys for this study. In addition, 11 teacher participants were included to enable a broader lens for my analysis of young masculinities. Following the tenets of feminist poststructuralism, I capture the gendered lives of young boys by prioritising their own views and experiences. This study highlights the social processes through which masculine identities were formed –nuanced by race, socioeconomic conditions, culture, gender inequalities, and sexuality– all of which contributed to malleable and plural patterns of masculinities. These variables intersected to shape Indian and black boys’ social interactions, their negotiation of power and their racialised and classed subjectivities which constituted a significant force in their negotiation of masculinities. Departing from traditional adult framings of childhood passivity, the study findings foreground the complexities, contradictions and diverse ways through which young boys construct, redefine, negotiate and share their knowledge of gender and sexuality as active agents of masculinities. Violence and heterosexuality emerged as the most dominant and prevalent way of expressing hegemonic masculinity and male power. Violence was exemplified through performances of strength, fighting prowess, an esteemed physical body and the denigration of femininity. However, this was not a uniform experience for all boys: given their agency some boys sought to denounce hegemonic masculinity by adopting non-violent subject positions and developed a shared solidarity by caring for each other, thus transcending racial divides. Heterosexuality was also a normalising force that regulated boys’ sexuality in ways that constrained or empowered their masculinities. They actively invested in heterosexual masculinity, finding pleasure in it but also navigating the complex terrains related to compulsory heterosexuality, material and economic deprivation and competition for girlfriends. Nonetheless, teachers rendered boys' early engagement in sexuality obsolete due to dominant subjectivities of childhood innocence.

Iqoqa

Kulolu cwaningo lokuzimbandakanya ngangihlose ukuhlola ukwakheka komqondo wobudoda phakathi kwabafana abaneminyaka eyisi-8 kuya kweyisi-9 basemabangeni aphansi. Lolu cwaningo lwenziwa esimweni sesikole sezinhlanga ezahlukene kuhlanganisa namakilasi axubile kwabamaholo aphansi, naphakathi kwendawo, sabafana bamaNdiya nabaMnyama KwaZulu-Natali, eNingizimu Afrika. Kwasetshenziswa indlela eyinhloso ukuqoka abafana abangama-25 balolu cwaningo. Kwengezwa ngababambiqhaza abangothisha abayi-11 abafakelwa ukwenzela ukubheka kabanzi uhlaziyo lwami lokwakheka kobudoda ezinganeni. Lolu cwaningo lugqamisa izinhlelokwenza zenhlalobantu okwakhiwa ngazo ukwakheka kokuziqonda ngobudoda – okwahluswe kancane ngubuhlanga, izimo zenhlalobantu nezomnotho, amasiko, ukungalingani kobulili, nokuzikhethela ubulili - konke okwaba nomthelela womehlukwana wamaphethini obudoda. Ukwehluka emidiyweni yendabuko yobudala yobungane obungenalutho, okuzuzwe ucwaningo lugxile enkimbinkimbini, yokuphikisana nasezindleleni ezahlukene abafana abaqonda ngazo, bachaze kabusha baphinde bedlule ngazo kwezobulili nokuzikhethela ubulili njengezinsiza eziphilayo zobudoda. Kwavela ukuthi udlame nokwahlukahlukana ngobulili kuyindlela egqamile nenkulu yokuveza amandla obulili. Udlame lwavezwa ngokukhonjiswa kwamandla, ubuchule bokulwa, ukukhonzwa komzimba oqatha nokujivazwa kobufazane. Nokho-ke lokhu kwakungeyona imfanayo kubo bonke abafana: uma kubhekwa indlela yokwenza abanye abafana ababefuna ukuzihlangula ebudodeni obunokuqonela ngokwamukela isimo esingenalo udlame futhi bakha ubunye obunokubambisana ngokunakekelana ngabanye, ngaleyo ndlela bedlula esimweni sokuzahlukanisa ngobuhlanga. Ukwahlukahlukana ngobulili nakho kwakungamandla okwakha isimo esejwayelekile esilawula ukuzikhethela ubulili ebafaneni. Bazinikela bukhoma ebudodeni obunokwehlukahlukana kobulili, bejatshuliswa yikho kodwa futhi beguduza izindawo eziphithene ezimayelana nokwahlukana ngobulili okuyimpoqo, ukweswela izimpahla nangokomnotho nokuncintisana ngezintombi. Naphezu kwalokho, othisha baveza ukuzimbandakanya kwabafana kwezokuzikhethela ngobulili njengento engekho nje ngenxa yokwenganywa ukubuka ngohlangothi lobumnene kobungane. Ucwaningo lwaphinda lwathola ukuthi ukwakhiwa kobudoda bendlaleke bedlula izindawo zezemfundo kuze kufinyelele esimweni semindeni okuyinkundla eqavile yokukhiqiza ubulili ngokwenhlalobantu. Okwazuzwa kuveza ukugudlisela okumqoka ngokushesha, ukusebenza nabafana besebancane ukweseka indlela yokwenza kwabo nokubakhuthaza ukuxoxa ngobudoda ngezindlela ezakhayo. Ngiqakula ngithi izindlela zokufundisa ezigxile ezinganeni ezikoleni kufanele zifake izinhlelo zokungenelela ezihlelelwe ukwakha ukukhula kokuhloniphana nokungabi nodlame.