The Portrayal of Masculinity in Ebrahim Hussein’s Kinjeketile and Kwenye Ukingo wa Thim

Abstract

This paper presents a study that was motivated by the necessary need to redefine masculinity as an aspect of gender, distinctly from sex, and to portray how it is portrayed in Ebrahim Hussein’s Kinjeketile and Kwenye Ukingo wa Thim. The study is qualitative and adopts Connell’s (1995) Gender Order Theory and Butler’s (1990) Gender Performativity Theory which were jointly used as a framework for reading, analyzing and interpreting characters’ expressions and performances in the selected readings. The study employed a constructivist paradigm, a method that comprises several stages, including identification of the plays as the primary texts, a close reading of the plays and a review of literature on the gendered representations in Ebrahim Hussein’s plays. The researchers affirmed Butler’s (1990) statement that gender and sex are not directly related. the study finally found that masculinity is not as natural or inborn as one’s sex is. It is fluid, circumstantial, contextual and socially constructed. Masculinity is therefore a trait that can be exhibited by both men and women. Therefore, the study is significant since it contributes to significant knowledge on issues of gender and sex.