Affective Health and Masculinities in South Africa: An Ethnography of (In)vulnerability

Why are behaviors associated with masculinity increasing the risk of illness, injury, and premature death among young heterosexual men? What makes these men vulnerable to substance misuse, interpersonal violence, and suicide? What does recovery look like? This book draws on more than eight years of recurrent ethnographic fieldwork in urban South Africa to answer these globally urgent questions from a comparative perspective. Anthropologist Hans Reihling vividly shows that regardless of social and cultural differences cisgender men tend to have something in common: their struggles to become invulnerable individuals increase their vulnerability. With a focus on three male protagonists living in very distinct urban areas of Cape Town, this in-depth study shows how intractability, sharpness, and daring can disrupt relationships and lead to moral breakdowns. Reihling’s critical insight is that these breakdowns have a history and result from the rise of modern individualism rather than traditional patriarchy that has become a cliché in mainstream gender studies. He conceptualizes affective health as a balancing act between autonomy and connectivity, arguing that after the racist regime of apartheid, this balance has become compromised through the imperative of self-reliance. This book provides a rare perspective on young men’s vulnerability in everyday life that may affect the reader and spark discussion about how masculinities in relationships shape physical and psychological health. Moreover, it shows how men change in the face of distress through religious healing practices and modern psychiatry. The making of ‘new’ men may nevertheless look different than global health and gender transformative development programs envision. Thick descriptions of actual events over time make this ethnographic account not merely an exercise in intellectual digestion but an experiential meal that can be enjoyed.