Masculinity In The African City Summary

Robert Wood traveled to Uganda in search of how the AIDS crisis had effected the men and women in the town of Bwaise. In his book AIDS and Masculinity in the African City: Privilege, Inequality, and Modern Manhood, he found that this crisis along with growing women’s economic opportunities have posed a threat on men’s sense of masculinity. These men are experiencing an identity crisis within their life because ideals in their work, authority, and sexuality are beginning to shift. This threat to a man’s masculinity is not only in Bwaise, but also in America. Gender equality and feminism have been on the rise and some men have felt threated by it for the same reason the Bwaise men feel threatened; it takes away their power and masculinity.

Wood talked with a couple, Isaac and Edwina, Isaac has been infected with HIV and Edwina is not. They discussed women’s growing rights, Edwina thought that women’s rights were a good thing because she felt she could have a say in her marriage without being abused. Isaac was most hesitant; he thinks that it is good that women have rights but “some women have divorced men because of the powers given to them … that’s why the number of prostitutes is increasing everyday” (125). This shows that men know women currently have the power to leave them, so they cannot treat them however they see fit. This goes against what

In Uganda, the AIDS crisis has taken a toll on men’s view of masculinity because it is challenging their ideals of work, authority, and sexuality that they have always known. In America, different kinds of men have reacted differently to the changing ways that women are rising, some of them are good reactions while others are not. This changing ideal that is shaping the idea of femininity is also bringing men to become unsettled with their