Sexual rights and sexual cultures: reflections on "the Zuma affair" and "new masculinities" in the South Africa

Abstract

The paper is divided into three sections. The first section focuses on the contested nature of the sexual politics that surrounded the Jacob Zuma rape trial. This sexual politics was not simply the background to the "real" politics of the leadership succession battle between pro-Mbeki and pro-Zuma factions. The rise of sexual politics after apartheid, this paper argues, has largely been due to the politicization of sexuality and masculinity in response to HIV/AIDS. Section two examines the ways in which ideas about "traditional" Zulu masculinity were represented and performed in the Zuma trial, introducing the tension between universalistic sexual rights and particularistic sexual cultures. The third section of the paper is concerned with innovative attempts by a group of young men in Cape Town to create "alternative masculinities" (Connell, 1996) in a time of HIV and AIDS.<br>Este artigo encontra-se dividido em três partes: a primeira enfoca a contestada natureza da política sexual que esteve no entorno do julgamento do estupro cometido por Jacob Zuma. Essa política sexual não foi simplesmente a sustentação da "verdadeira" política da luta pela sucessão na liderança das facções pró-Mbeki e pró-Zuma. Este artigo argumenta que o aumento das políticas sexuais depois do apartheid deve-se amplamente à politização da sexualidade e masculinidade em resposta ao HIV e à Aids; a segunda parte examina as formas pelas quais as idéias sobre masculinidade zulu tradicional foram representadas e demonstradas no julgamento de Zuma, apresentando a tensão entre os direitos sexuais universais e as culturas sexuais particulares; a terceira parte preocupa-se com as tentativas inovadoras por parte de grupos de homens jovens na Cidade do Cabo de criar "masculinidades alternativas" (Connel, 1996) nos tempos de HIV e Aids

The Limitations of Hashtag Feminist Activism on South African Twitter: A Case Study of #MenAreTrash and #WomenAreTrash

“…In a few instances, this differentiation was performed by resorting to ethnic stereotypes around traditional Zulu masculinity. This strategy resembles how white men under #MeToo resorted to racialized stereotypes by framing perpetrators as more likely to be black men (Robins, 2006; Flood, 2019). Ultimately, by portraying bad men as the other, these users were diminishing their responsibility towards widespread GBV.…”

Toward a Political Sociology of Conjugal-Recognition Regimes: Gendered Multiculturalism in South African Marriage Law

“…All this unfolds against a broader backdrop in which conservative and patriarchal understandings of African tradition appear politically ascendant. Current president Jacob Zuma, for example, has framed his public image in terms far more African traditionalist and, with intermittent exceptions, patriarchal than his main post-apartheid predecessors, Nelson 44 Mandela and Thabo Mbeki (Hassim 2009;Hunter 2010;Robins 2006Robins , 2008Tallie 2013 At present these instances of dynamic development remain few and scattered-all mainline Christian denominations, for example, still refuse to perform same-sex marriages-so it remains unknown whether the CUA's idiosyncrasies will in fact result in the current regime's transcendence. Fully understanding the regime's operation and its capacities for change will of course require attention not just to the circumstances of its creation but also to institutional and 45 individual responses on the ground.…”

Penser les masculinités en Afrique et au-delà

“…Il ne s'agit donc pas de minimiser l'existence des violences envers les femmes, et en particulier des violences sexuelles. Mais celle-ci est largement connue et documentée, notamment au sujet de l'Afrique du Sud (Vogelman 1990 ;Moffett 2006), où l'instauration de la nouvelle nation a vu se produire une politisation des questions sexuelles au travers de plusieurs affaires retentissantes (Posel 2005 ;Robins 2006). À propos d'autres pays, la littérature évoque également certaines tentatives de résolution du problème, par exemple par l'introduction de femmes dans l'armée en République démocratique du Congo (RDC) pour réduire les violences sexuelles (Eriksson Baaz & Stern 2011) ou par l'engagement des hommes eux-mêmes dans la lutte contre les violences envers les femmes (Freedman 2012).…”

“…Divers auteurs l'ont discutée à propos et depuis ce continent (Morrell 1998a ; Ratele 2008 ;Groes-Green 2009 ;Hearn & Morrell 2012 ;Luyt 2012 ;Morrell et al 2012). Certains ont repris des notions dérivées en analysant par exemple la création de « masculinités alternatives » (Robins 2006 ;Jaji 2009). Ce large usage, en particulier en Afrique du Sud, découlant entre autres de la visite de Raewyn Connell dans ce pays dès les années 1990 (Morrell et al 2012), signale la portée très générale de cette notion, qui explique aussi qu'elle soit souvent critiquée.…”

“…Une enquête réalisée en Ouganda souligne que la confrontation à une telle situation peut produire une réaction d'adhésion en même temps qu'un renforcement de l'attachement à l'idée d'autorité masculine (Wyrod 2008). Dans un contexte plus controversé, le procès de Jacob Zuma en Afrique du Sud suite à une accusation de viol a clairement mis en évidence des tensions entre droits sexuels et culture locale de la sexualité masculine (Robins 2006).…”