Poverty, Male Disempowerment, and Male Sexuality: Rethinking Men and Masculinities in Rural and Urban East Africa

  • Margrethe Silberschmidt
Chapter

Abstract

Most writings on gender in the Third World necessarily examine issues of poverty, the lack of economic development and the spread of HIV, and emphasize the subordination of women and the power of men. The possibility that men could be disempowered is not entertained. The dominant framework for discussion is that men have been the “winners” and women the “losers” in the process of socioeconomic change during the past century (Silberschmidt 1992b). Drawing on anthropological research work in East Africa, this chapter explores the changing position of men and argues that many of them have been, and feel, disempowered.

Keywords

Poverty Alleviation Socioeconomic Change Male Sexual Behavior Bride Price African Masculinity 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Lahoucine Ouzgane and Robert Morrell 2005

Authors and Affiliations

  • Margrethe Silberschmidt

There are no affiliations available

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