Abstract

MASSART, Guy. The aspirations and constraints of masculinity in the family trajectories of Cape Verdean men from Praia (1989-2009). Etnográfica [online]. 2013, vol.17, n.2, pp.293-316. ISSN 0873-6561.

Transformations in male and female gender performance have been determinant in shaping the family trajectories of five men from Praia over the last twenty years. These men’s gender identifications have been performed through a hegemonic masculinity genre. Among the main elements that have affected their performance are the redefinition of social spaces, the various forces boosting women’s autonomy, their aging, and the Kriol narratives around the Cape Verdean collective identification. The propensity of men to depart from the genre learned early in their lives, or the depth of their conservatism depends on whether their aspirations and opportunities take them to social spaces where this genre is actually challenged or constantly re-enacted.

Keywords : masculinity; gender; performance; imagination; family.

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