« Je regrette que notre genre ne soit pas double ». Féminités masculines d’étudiants ghanéens

Abstract

This paper explores the embodiment and expressions of femininity in seven young Ghanaian men studying at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. First, I examine the role of the participants’ mothers in their feminization. Second, I explore their gendered, as well as their intimate and sexual experiences with both men and women. It appears that, for the participants, gender is perceived as a natural inclination, which can be masculine or feminine regardless of the person’s sex. I suggest that the “biologization” of gender facilitates a certain acceptance of femininity in Ghanaian males. However, the young men experienced tensions between hegemonic forms of youth masculinity and their own effeminacy, especially since the recent increase of homophobic discourses in the media. They constantly re-negotiate their (feminine) masculinity according to the contexts they find themselves in and the interlocutors they face.