Doing’ Masculinity: The Intersection of Sexuality and Manliness in Bukusu Circumcision

Abstract

The expansion of gender scholarship has cemented the sociological constructionist paradigm of gender in the academia. Masculinity is thus hypothesized as biologically embedded and socially embodied. In Africa, this hypothesis reinforced the academic focus on circumcision as the dominant marker of manliness. I argue that the preoccupation with circumcision narrows the scope of masculinity research to the constructionist strand. This essay challenges the preponderance of the transitional purpose of circumcision. I draw on the sociological constructionist paradigm of gender and Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis in an integrated theoretical framework to advance the argument that the focal character of circumcision transcends the temporal transitioning of men from childhood. Because of the rich ritual symbolism involved, circumcision is structured to equip men with the instruments of performing male power and privilege in competing gender relations. The paper draws on oral evidence among the Bukusu of Bungoma County, Kenya, coupled with secondary data from books and journals to deduce the constellation of phallocentrism and its masculine expression in sexuality. The findings intervene in the dearth of literature in men’s studies in eastern Africa by illuminating the social intersectionality of masculinity and its delineation of power relations.