| dc.description.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. | en_US |
