Negotiating Manhood: A Critique of Hegemonic Masculinity in Mohammad Al-Naas’s Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table (2021) | ||
| مجلة البحث العلمي في الآداب | ||
| Article 4, Volume 26, Issue 7, October 2025, Pages 51-72 PDF (684.65 K) | ||
| Document Type: المقالة الأصلية | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jssa.2025.392428.1735 | ||
| Author | ||
| Lamiaa H. Abdulaal* | ||
| Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Education, Tanta University, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| This paper examines the destructive impact of hegemonic masculinity on individuals and society in Mohammad Al-Nass’s Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table (2021). While gender studies focus on women’s oppression in patriarchal societies, few theorists, such as Connell, Kimell, and hooks, study men and masculinity. However, patriarchy not only subjugates women but also enforces narrow ideals of masculinity that can be oppressive to men themselves. Hegemonic masculinity is a concept coined by Raewyn Connell to explain how patriarchal society manipulates and oppresses both women and less privileged men. Hegemonic masculinity refers to the social practices and cultural norms that establish and legitimize men’s dominant position and power dynamic in society. It encourages traits like dominance, aggression, and physical strength, which can lead to various forms of violence. The rigid standards of hegemonic masculinity can be detrimental to men themselves. Drawing on Connell’s framework, this paper examines how Mohammad Al-Naas critiques hegemonic masculinity in contemporary Libyan society through his novel Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table (2021). Milad, the protagonist, suffers from an identity crisis because he fails to accomplish the rigid gender role of his society. The fragmentation of his identity leads him to be violent and destroy his life. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Hegemonic masculinity; Raewyn Connell; Bread on Uncle Milad’s Table; Violence; Gender expectations | ||
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