South African critical masculinities studies: a scan of past, current and emerging priorities

Abstract

Depending on the position from which it is read, and what is regarded as the beginning of the history of the field, South African critical studies on men and masculinities have a relatively estimable though comparatively short history. There exists a significant and steadily expanding body of diverse empirical and theoretical work on boys, men and masculinities which speaks to the particular geo- and socio-political spaces. In the main, South African researchers of boys, men and masculinities address themselves to domestic affairs, with some of the work evidencing direct and necessary links to community engagement and activism. There is, however, a vein of scholarship directed towards transnational interests and theoretical issues. It is always difficult to identify key moments– including the beginning – for any body of scholarship work within a particular context.