Fractured Masculinities: Negotiating Male Identity in the Wake of Colonial Disruption

Abstract: This article explores masculinity in crisis within postcolonial narratives with a focus on the struggles of male protagonists attempting to redefine their identities in societies altered by colonial rule and modernization. Drawing on theories from Fanon, Bhabha, and Connell, this ana...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Belkacem Billel SADOUNI
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: CRAC, INSAAC 2025-03-01
Series:Akofena
Online Access:https://www.revueakofena.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/29-M15v04-27-Belkacem-Billel-SADOUNI_335-348.pdf
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Summary:Abstract: This article explores masculinity in crisis within postcolonial narratives with a focus on the struggles of male protagonists attempting to redefine their identities in societies altered by colonial rule and modernization. Drawing on theories from Fanon, Bhabha, and Connell, this analysis assesses how colonialism destabilized and reshaped traditional notions of masculinity, forcing male characters to confront vulnerability, alienation, and shifting dynamics of power. Through key texts such as Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, V.S. Naipaul's A House for Mr. Biswas, and Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong'o's The River Between, the study examines both the psychological and physical dimensions of masculinity in crisis while highlighting the rupture of traditional paths to manhood such as father-son relationships. These narratives critique and redefine gender roles within a broader historical and cultural context and demonstrate the different strategies of resistance, adaptation, and hybridity adopted by men in response to colonial oppression. This study also discusses how this crisis continues to influence contemporary postcolonial societies through ongoing struggles with authority, identity, and gender roles. Keywords: Masculinity, Postcolonial Literature, Male Protagonists, Identity, Colonialism
ISSN:2706-6312
2708-0633