Not Keeping Up the Façade: Conceptualizing and (Re)Negotiating Masculinities Among Black Men Collegians

Abstract

Research on college men and masculinities is an important area of interest in U.S. higher education, yet there is more to be learned about how Black men navigate early “lessons” about masculinities and their experiences and learning in college. Through semi-structured interviews with 40 Black men collegians, this study examined how students defined, understood, and negotiated masculinities, with emphases on the influence of their familial, societal, and campus contexts. Findings reveal that the men are in active processes of deconstructing masculinities, particularly traditional and hegemonic masculinities, and seek out opportunities to identify masculine ideologies that align with their sense of authenticity, which incorporates care, tenderness, and connections. This research provides an opportunity to investigate Black men’s negotiations of and rejecting (traditional) masculine façades.

Plain Language Summary

This Study Explores How Black Men Collegians Make Sense of Their Learning About Masculinities and How They Conceptualize and Negotiate Their Black Masculine Identities During Their College Years

Scholars have explored how Black men experience college with particular attention given to their racial identities and their positioning within the collegiate environment. Still, though, more work is needed that explores how they think about and make sense of their Black masculine identities during their college years. This paper explores some of the tensions in the men’s learning about masculinities and their desires to be their authentic selves. Through interviews with 40 Black men collegians at two different institutions, the study is presented across two main findings: (1) students’ learning and unlearning traditional masculinities and (2) redefining and negotiating masculinities. These findings reflect how students seek out opportunities to identify masculine ideologies that align with their sense of authenticity, which incorporates care, tenderness, and connections.

Keywords

Black men masculinity Black masculinity progressive Black masculinities identity higher education

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