A Battle for Supremacy? Masculinities in Students’ Profane Language Use
Date
2020-03-02
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Journal of Men’s Studies
Abstract
This article investigates what students from University of Ghana’s Commonwealth
Hall consider as marks of masculinity, through how they represent themselves and
other males in their use of profanity. Data are sourced from songs, observations,
and interviews. Drawing from hegemonic and nonhegemonic masculinities and
theory of ideologies, findings indicate how these students portray themselves as
embodying true masculinity, as they represent themselves as superpowers, virile, and
assertive. They however marginalize other males by representing them as weaklings,
“uncircumcised”, and vagina police. It is their attempt to keep these binary categories
in place, which sometimes leads to confrontations between them and other male
students. When they believe and articulate that they embody true masculinity, similar
practices can only be interpreted as threats. The article, therefore, recommends a
bigger study that includes other public universities and assesses the link between
these students’ language use and their “radical” behavior.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
masculinities, men, Africa, profane language, students, University of Ghana
Citation
Diabah, G. (2020). A Battle for Supremacy? Masculinities in Students’ Profane Language Use. The Journal of Men’s Studies. https://doi.org/10.1177/1060826520905096