Masculinity and Adolescent Male Violence: A Case of Three Secondary Schools in Kenya

Abstract

This paper is a provocative reflection of three examples of adolescent male student violence using a masculinity lens. It is rooted in concrete situations and sets out to make masculinity visible in interpreting student violence. An attempt will thus be made to develop further understanding between masculinity and violence and in so doing show that student violence in Kenya is a gendered and power bound process. In a sense, I will show that an oppressive school administration system is not only self-destructive but also vulnerable to what can be termed as the masculinities of the oppressed. The paper has used an adventurous multi-disciplinary approach and benefited from a lively gender theoretical framework. The paper is not a finished position, but rather a springboard for radical dialogue on masculinity and adolescent male student violence, and hopefully it will be taken this way.

Keywords: Masculinity, violence, leadership, oppression, education

JEL Classification: I19