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Exploring discourses of masculinity within women track athletes' lives in South Africa
This research dissertation explores discourses of masculinity among university-level women track athletes across South Africa. Many scholars have delved into the narratives of racialization and masculinity among black women athletes, muscularity as a premise of athleticism, ‘tomboyism' and gender fl...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Cape Town
2023
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| _version_ | 1867613264449372160 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Sauzier, Regine Françoise Eva Gabrielle |
| author2 | Bennett, Jane |
| author_browse | Bennett, Jane Sauzier, Regine Françoise Eva Gabrielle |
| author_facet | Bennett, Jane Sauzier, Regine Françoise Eva Gabrielle |
| author_sort | Sauzier, Regine Françoise Eva Gabrielle |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | This research dissertation explores discourses of masculinity among university-level women track athletes across South Africa. Many scholars have delved into the narratives of racialization and masculinity among black women athletes, muscularity as a premise of athleticism, ‘tomboyism' and gender fluidities, as well as the policing and disciplining of women athletes' bodies in accordance with gender ideals. Nonetheless, as it stands, literature on women's masculinities within sports in South African contexts, along with the idea of meshing masculinities and women's experiences together remains scarce. Interviews were conducted with women sprinters attending universities across South Africa on the online platforms, Microsoft Teams and Zoom, due to the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions in place at the time. An analysis of their narratives surrounding experiences and discourses of masculinity as cisgendered heterosexual women athletes was carried out. The research concludes that upon reaching adulthood and maturation, the gender binary recloses around the women track athletes so that a "temporary boyhood" is no longer granted to them, and they must negotiate their performative proximity to discourses of masculinity without the safety of the "tomboy" label. Rigid power structures continue to dominate, leaving little to no room for the women track athletes within South Africa to explore a heteronormative female masculinity as part of their gender identities. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/37828 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:33:23.204Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | University of Cape Town |
| publisherStr | University of Cape Town |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/37828 Exploring discourses of masculinity within women track athletes' lives in South Africa Sauzier, Regine Françoise Eva Gabrielle Bennett, Jane African Studies This research dissertation explores discourses of masculinity among university-level women track athletes across South Africa. Many scholars have delved into the narratives of racialization and masculinity among black women athletes, muscularity as a premise of athleticism, ‘tomboyism' and gender fluidities, as well as the policing and disciplining of women athletes' bodies in accordance with gender ideals. Nonetheless, as it stands, literature on women's masculinities within sports in South African contexts, along with the idea of meshing masculinities and women's experiences together remains scarce. Interviews were conducted with women sprinters attending universities across South Africa on the online platforms, Microsoft Teams and Zoom, due to the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions in place at the time. An analysis of their narratives surrounding experiences and discourses of masculinity as cisgendered heterosexual women athletes was carried out. The research concludes that upon reaching adulthood and maturation, the gender binary recloses around the women track athletes so that a "temporary boyhood" is no longer granted to them, and they must negotiate their performative proximity to discourses of masculinity without the safety of the "tomboy" label. Rigid power structures continue to dominate, leaving little to no room for the women track athletes within South Africa to explore a heteronormative female masculinity as part of their gender identities. 2023-04-26T10:48:29Z 2023-04-26T10:48:29Z 2022 2023-04-20T13:08:45Z Master Thesis Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37828 eng application/pdf University of Cape Town African Feminist Studies Faculty of Humanities |
| spellingShingle | African Studies Sauzier, Regine Françoise Eva Gabrielle Exploring discourses of masculinity within women track athletes' lives in South Africa |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Exploring discourses of masculinity within women track athletes' lives in South Africa |
| title_full | Exploring discourses of masculinity within women track athletes' lives in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Exploring discourses of masculinity within women track athletes' lives in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring discourses of masculinity within women track athletes' lives in South Africa |
| title_short | Exploring discourses of masculinity within women track athletes' lives in South Africa |
| title_sort | exploring discourses of masculinity within women track athletes lives in south africa |
| topic | African Studies |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37828 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sauzierreginefrancoiseevagabrielle exploringdiscoursesofmasculinitywithinwomentrackathleteslivesinsouthafrica |