Endorsing Hegemonic Masculinities among the Bukusu through Khuvita Ritual
Journal Title: Scholars Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences - Year 2015, Vol 3, Issue 5
Abstract
Ritual is a cultural system of symbolic communication. Rituals have a binding effect of the person and the ritual content. This paper looks at ritual discourse and the construction of hegemonic masculinities with a specific focus on the use of language in Khuvita; a ritual amongst the Bukusu community of Western Kenya. Using the discourse historical approach, the study is concerned with analysing the ways in which dominant thinking and structures of inequality between men and women inflect and are reproduced and naturalised through discourse. The study explored the fine details of content and discursive strategies in the discourse of the ritual Khuvita among the Bukusu of Kenya, which involves both the context of use and the genres. Using video recording and interviews, the researcher focused on how particular episodes position the oral artists and the audience, what they include and exclude and how the audience try to understand events, individuals, identities and social roles. The findings reveal that Khuvita ritual supports the elaboration and magnification of the differences between male and female. The women’s role in Bukusu community is seen as subordinate to men. Hegemonic masculinity can be identified as a risk and a limiting factor for both men and women. The findings may be used in practical applications to combat all forms of social discrimination through language.
Authors and Affiliations
Josephine Mulindi Khaemba, Felicia Yieke, James Onyango Ogola
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP380677
- DOI -
- Views 55
- Downloads 0
Identification of Hypomanic Smartness V/S Passiveness (UI 18) In T- Data
The present study was mainly designed to identify Cattelian Personality Factor of Hypomaic Smartness Vs Passiveness (UI-18) in T-data measures and its overlap with Q-data factor. To realize the main objective, a sample o...
The relation between governmental ownership and conditional accounting conservatism between companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange
Employing better control through company managerial policies may lead to higher conservatism in financial lists so that we can make sure of the accuracy of information in financial lists and lack of any steps taken by ma...
Law of Consumer Protection
Consumer Protection Act, 1986, is a benevolent social legislation that lays down the rights of the consumers and provides their promotion and protection of the rights of the consumers. Consumer justice aims at consumer p...
Prolonged Deprivation Among Unemployed Youth: An Empirical Study with Reference to Bihar, India
The present enquiry was undertaken to study the prolonged deprivation among unemployed youth of Bihar state. Since long it has been observed that youth are the backbones of our society. Youth has the capacity to change...
PACE Your Class for Good Classroom Behavior Management
In a K-12 foreign language class, having good classroom behavior management skills is vital to learner success. If an instructor uses the target language during a grammar lesson and if the students do not comprehend the...