Men and Masculinity Studies in East Africa: A Theoretical Framework for Understanding Masculinities-Focused Interventions

Over the past 30 years, studies on men and masculinities-focused intervention programmes have mainly been informed by gender theoretical frameworks from the Global North, which often do not adequately focus on the gendered experiences of the Global South. The aim of this chapter is a theoretical reflection on men and masculinities while analysing the implications for interventions for the transformation of men and gender relations in the East African context. It is imperative to rethink relevant endogenous linkages between theories grounded in Africa with theories grounded in the Global North. African feminist and masculinities studies ought to focus not only on women but also on men, in order to take stock of the socioeconomic freedoms for women, which cannot be achieved without men and masculinities-focused interventions for transforming gender relations. This chapter is part of an ongoing doctoral research that focuses on men’s involvement in achieving gender equality, with a specific focus on masculinities-focused interventions in Rwanda, East Africa.