Research on masculinities has largely been influenced by Western countries and generalised as an understanding of global masculinities. This scoping review synthesises qualitative literature exploring dominant masculine ideals within the South Africa’s (SA) prisons and theorises how this reflects wider SA cultural norms. Arksey and O’Malley’s five steps of conducting a literature review were followed. Three databases were searched. Six studies were identified with the inclusion criteria of the SA prison setting, academic literature, English language and qualitative methodology. The analysis employed Malpass’s construct approach to qualitative synthesis. Four third-order constructs were identified: dominant masculine ideals; heteronormative adaptations; alternative identities; and factors enabling the violent status quo. The study recommended restorative justice programmes that promote the rights and voices of prison inmates; orientating new inmates with clear protocols to follow in abusive situations; and incentives for non-violent inmates. The study also stated that there is a need for more context-specific research to better understand dominant masculine ideals within prisons in SA.
Ngcobo, Seluleko Eric Bekaert, Sarah Wignall, Ross Miller, Tina
School of Law and Social SciencesDepartment of Nursing
Year of publication: 2023Date of RADAR deposit: 2024-06-03