Masculinities in Ousmane Sembene's God's bits of wood

Abstract

This study explores the forms of masculinity which occur in a crisis situation as represented in Sembene Ousmane’s colonial text God’s Bits of Wood. The study relies on the theories of Robert Connell, Judith Butler, Judith Halberstam, and Ifi Amadiume amongst others in identifying the masculinities in the novel. The introduction discusses issues of masculinity and looks at how different types of masculinity have been defined, especially in relation to power. Chapter one focuses on the white hegemonic masculinities. Chapter two looks at black workers’ masculinities which were marked by opposition, complicity, and cowardice. The third chapter analyses the female masculinities and the violent boyhood masculinity that were forged during the crisis. The conclusion summarizes the arguments in the preceding chapters and indicates how Sembene Ousmane’s novel dispels certain stereotypes of black masculinity.