Mutunda, Sylvester

Dr. Sylvester N. Mutunda holds a Ph.D in Francophone African Studies and Sociolinguistics from the University of Arizona. He currently teaches in the French and Italian Department at the University of Arizona.

Descriptions of Masculinity in African Women's Creative Writing: Mariama Ba, Philomeme, Delphine Zanga Tsogo, Calixthe Beyala, Aminata Sow Fall

2015 0-7734-2921-2
The first and only study on how female authors from Africa depict masculinity in their novels. Some criticisms of genetic explanations of gender are given. In addition to being an explication of literary representations the author also offers sociological explanations of male identity in Africa. Five female authors are studied, and their views are not seen as representational of all African male archetypes, but rather provide a starting point for future research in this area. This is one of the first books to give African scholars a place to start including masculinity into gender studies.

There have been numerous studies showing how men behave in relation to women, but none showing how men are depicted by female authors in Africa. This will bridge the gap in the literature by giving information on how masculinity functions on its own.