'Thanks to Corona virus': trajectories of masculinities during the Ugandan lockdown. Issue 3 (3rd July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Baral, Anna
• Is Part Of: Norma. Volume 16:Issue 3(2021)
• Page Start: 174
• Page End: 189
• Publication Date: 2021-07-03
• Subjects: Uganda -- Covid-19 -- emergent fatherhood -- caring masculinity -- reciprocity -- breadwinner; Men's studies -- Scandinavia -- Periodicals; Men's studies -- Periodicals; Masculinity -- Research -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 305.31
• DOI: 10.1080/18902138.2021.1956830
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1890-2138

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The restrictions to curb the Covid-19 pandemic have caused an escalation of gender-based violence all over the world, but they have also changed the trajectories of masculinities in nuanced and complex ways. In this article, I explore the experiences of Ugandan men who became unable to provide under the national lockdown, often finding themselves confined in their homes for the first time in their life. I discuss two dimensions of this experience. On the one hand, men had to painfully withdraw from circles of reciprocity, exemplified by the practice of 'checking on', too burdensome in a moment of economic insecurity. On the other hand, men's 'being there', at home, progressively shifted from an unwanted obligation to a welcomed responsibility, embraced intentionally. Juggling between forced proximity and distance, men explored different ways of validating themselves in the crisis. They both reproduced pre-existing dynamics, grounded on the tension between provision and withdrawal, and experienced emergent forms of caring masculinities and fatherhood, performed through sharing and reciprocity.