Destiny Man: Black Middle Class Masculinities in South Africa, a Discourse Analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT The following article provides a systematic multimodal analysis of the South African men’s publication Destiny Man. Articles published in the 2014 issues of the magazine were selected for an in-depth discussion of how factors such as access to economic resources and wealth play a significant role in lifestyle choices and the formation of the black middle-class in contemporary South Africa. Advertisements were analysed to further enrich the discussion in the paper. The findings indicate that Destiny Man’s characterisation of middle-class black South African masculinity is based on the acquisition of material goods, the ability to provide for one’s family and perceptions of power which are based on business transactions and socioeconomic empowerment—all rooted in a new culture of neoliberal capitalism penetrating sections of the South African population. This analysis alerts readers to the formation of a neoliberal capitalist culture as a major theme in Destiny Man magazine.