Abstract
Within the framework of a new “politics of the black body” that contests any prevalent narratives of race and gender, this article argues that Toni Morrison has deeply invested in the investigation of the nature and configuration of black masculinities and the intricate link with other identity categories such as age and aging as crucial factors. Eschewing the patriarchal model of normative manhood, Morrison imaginatively constructs alternative notions of subjectivity and belonging that defy stereotypical images of black men. Furthermore, she also envisions new interdependent relationships which reveal the importance of community, and the ethical elements that are prominent in her positionality as both feminist and anti-racist. Starting from Song of Solomon, the first novel which featured a male protagonist, Morrison has incessantly depicted black male characters who challenge any univocal vision of what black manhood may entail. As these characters mature, I would further argue that they gradually become more articulate to address other topics such as systemic violence, the deep traumas that haunt them or the necessity to relate to other human beings on an equal basis. Thus, I will show how they are able to develop resistance strategies that allow them to go beyond trauma and victimization, and to recreate new forms of subjectivity and communal life.
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Acknowledgements
The author wishes to acknowledge the funding provided by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Research Project “Bodies in Transit 2,” ref. FFI2017-84555-C2-1-P), the European Regional Development Fund, and the Spanish Research Agency for the writing of this essay. And also the funding by the Regional Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, Enterprise and Universities of Andalusia, and the European Regional Development Fund for the project “Embodiments, Genders and Difference: Cultural Practices of Violence and Discrimination,” ref. 1252965.
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Mar Gallego (2021). Black Masculinities and Aging in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Love. In: Armengol, J.M. (eds) Aging Masculinities in Contemporary U.S. Fiction. Global Masculinities. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71596-0_9
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