What teaches a boy what it means to be a man? After spending years following boys growing up in Alexandra, psychologist and researcher Professor Malose Langa found something more complicated than the stereotype of the naturally tough or violent young man. The same boys who performed bravado in groups could reveal vulnerability, fear, aspiration and very different ideas about manhood in private. His research found young men negotiating multiple, often conflicting versions of masculinity rather than fitting neatly into one category.
On CheckPoint: The Podcast, Nkepile Mabuse speaks to Langa about where these masculine scripts come from, how homes, schools, churches and communities can reinforce them, and why waiting until violence has already occurred is too late. They explore interventions that give boys space to question harmful norms, the extraordinary journey of one participant from prison to an LLB and a career, and Langa’s frustration that South Africa continues searching for answers when researchers say much of the evidence already exists.
Catch up on all CheckPoint Podcast episodes here: https://www.enca.com/checkpoint-podca…
Chapter List
(00:00) What 12 Years Following Boys In Alexandra Revealed
(09:33) The Private Boy Versus The Public Masculinity Script
(12:49) Who Teaches Boys How To Be Men?
(17:18) One Boy Can Hold More Than One Masculinity
(24:26) Can Boys And Men Actually Change?
(29:36) Prison, Second Chances And The Power Of One Relationship
(32:42) Why South Africa Knows What Drives Violence But Still Struggles To Act
(38:13) The Overlooked Role Of Mothers Raising Boys
