Exploring embodied differences in Xhosa manhood masculinity, and reflecting on thematic analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT Very little research has been carried out on the significance of the physical body, particularly the disabled body, in the construction and negotiation of and meaning-making in relation to Xhosa manhood, despite manhood status among AmaXhosa being grounded on the body. Through structured and semi-structured in-depth interviews with seventeen visibly physically impaired Xhosa men and one Xhosa cultural expert, this article captures and tentatively theorises the participants’ inability, or lack of language, to talk about their impaired bodies in doing Xhosa manhood masculinity. I argue that the ritualised Xhosa initiation, as a grantor of equality for all traditionally initiated men, and the higher premium on social bodies than physical bodies in this context are the sources of the men’s inability to talk about their bodies as different. Secondly, the article reflects on the author’s decisions and choices regarding analytical themes during the data analysis process.