Reconstructing Masculine Identity in Feminist Literature: A Critical Analysis of Four African Feminist Texts

Abstract

Despite literature studies on gender inequality, the issue of masculine identity has been left out and thereby creating a negative stereotype of the male characters. Therefore, this study is a reconstruction of masculine identity in feminist literature. The study focused on four African feminist texts: Margaret A. Ogola’s The River and the Source, Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood, Nuruddin Farah’s From a Crooked Rib, and André Brink’s Imaginings of Sand. The purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the texts. Textual analysis was applied in analysing the core ideas. Theoretical framework included: feminist theory, psychoanalytic feminism, and deconstruction theories. The findings indicate that masculine identity has been influenced by cultural norms. On the other hand, feminist authors have represented male characters based on the presumed expectations of how a man should behave, rather than their self-identity, which they are willing to display as individuals with diverse life experiences. Hence, feminist authors need to reconstruct gender issues in their writings. This will result in the creation of literary works that advocate for gender equality. The study will inform social agents such as governments, educators, parents, and society on the need to promote equitable gender representation in feminist texts.