PUBLIC MAKING OF MASCULINITIES IN BARACK OBAMA’S DREAMS FROM MY FATHER AND NELSON MANDELA’S LONG WALK TO FREEDOM

Abstract

This study analyzed Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father and Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom to flesh out political masculinities constructed by the two leaders in their autobiographies. It examined how Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela narrate their life stories, facilitating the emergence of narratives that reflect the development of masculinities within their respective contexts. Additionally, the study interrogated how these leaders articulate their experiences to reveal aspects of their iconic images. To this effect, the study analyzed the gap between Nelson Mandela’s and Barack Obama’s self-portrayals in their texts and the iconic expectations of their masculinities in their texts. The objectives of the study are as follows: to analyze how social, cultural, and political contexts shape the masculinities of Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela; to examine how Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama are constructed as icons by the public persona in their autobiographical narratives; and to assess the narrative techniques employed by both Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama that challenge the expectations surrounding their iconography. The study was guided by Michel Foucault's theory of power and discourse, as well as Judith Butler's gender theory of performance and performativity. Judith Butler's theory examined how masculinities are constructed through repeated performances and societal expectations, allowing for an analysis of how Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela present themselves in their narratives and how their portrayals reflect or challenge societal norms regarding masculinity. Michel Foucault's theories help to understand how the narratives in their autobiographies shape the public personas and contribute to the construction of political masculinities. This framework facilitated an exploration of how these figures negotiated their masculinities within the power structures of their respective societies. Together, these two theories provided a comprehensive lens for examining the complex interplay between individual masculinities, societal expectations, and the political contexts in which Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela operate. The study employed an analytical study research design and qualitative methods for data collection and analysis. Ultimately, this research aims to offer insights into the study of autobiography as a means of understanding political figures and the strategies they use to shape perceptions of themselves. By exploring how these two politicians construct their masculinities within their autobiographies, the study sheds light on their roles in defining concepts of black masculinity. The findings show that Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama exhibit traditional, hyper, emancipatory, performative and interactional masculinities that were mutually inclusive as a result of the prevailing context and power dynamics. These masculinities showcase Nelson Mandela’s and Barack Obama’s unique approach to political masculinity often challenging traditional and stereotype societal expectations surrounding masculinity in politics and leadership thereby inspiring readers on notions of leadership and understanding concepts of masculinities. The findings reveal there is a contradiction between the ways Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama conceptualize their selfhood in their autobiographies and the symbolic expectations associated with their public images.