Traditional African Masculine Ideals and Gender Roles in Reclaiming African Masculinity in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s A Grain of Wheat
Kamwele James Wele
School of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Languages and Humanities, Mount Kenya University, Thika, Kenya
Margaret Njoki Mwihia
School of Social Sciences, Mount Kenya University, Thika, Kenya
ABSTRACT:
African masculinity is a complex and many-sided concept that has been shaped by historical and cultural, and colonial factors. The position of men in the society remains to be a fundamental role to the wellbeing of every community. With colonialism affecting the perspective of masculinity in the African communities, there has subsequent resistance exhibited by male characters in the selected literary works. The current study focused on analyzing the traditional African masculine ideals and gender roles in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s A Grain of Wheat. The study was guided by postcolonialism theory, which focuses on power dynamics and relationships between colonizers and the colonized. Being a qualitative study, the study employed descriptive research design, and conducted a thorough textual analysis, to highlight key issues in relation to masculinity in the African context. Purposive sampling was used to select the aforementioned text, so as to suit the needs of the researcher. The findings revealed that traditional African masculinity, characterized by strength, leadership, and adherence to cultural norms, faced significant disruption and redefinition due to colonial forces, with resistance efforts often reinforcing these ideals as a means of reclaiming identity and cultural integrity. It was also noted that colonialism profoundly disrupted African masculine identities by eroding traditional roles and authority, creating a deep sense of powerlessness and identity crisis among men as colonial systems imposed foreign norms and undermined their cultural and social structures. The study concludes that the resistance displayed by male characters in reclaiming African masculinity, amidst the disruption caused by colonial forces, underscores a critical postcolonial struggle to restore cultural identity, dignity, and autonomy.
Published in: International Journal of Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Topics (Volume 5, Issue 11, November 2024)
Page(s): 7-13
Date of Publication: 04/11/2024
Publisher: IJRAMT
Cite as: Kamwele James Wele, Margaret Njoki Mwihia, “Traditional African Masculine Ideals and Gender Roles in Reclaiming African Masculinity in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s A Grain of Wheat,” in International Journal of Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Topics, vol. 5, no. 11, pp. 7-13, November 2024.