“Trying to be the man you’ve become”: negotiating marriage and masculinities among young, urban Fijian men married to non-Fijian women

• Main Author: Holman, Sayuri
• Other Authors: Butt, Leslie
• Language: English; en
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: Marriage; Masculinities; Fiji; Colonialism; Globalization; UVic Subject Index::Humanities and Social Sciences::Anthropology; UVic Subject Index::Humanities and Social Sciences::Social Sciences::Women's studies; UVic Subject Index::Humanities and Social Sciences::History::Oceania > History; UVic Subject Index::Humanities and Social Sciences::Sociology::Family
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1828/2030

While studies in masculinities and globalization are a rapidly growing field, few studies address the role of marriage in shaping masculinities. This project explores the emerging pattern of young, urban Fijian men who marry non-Fijian women and in doing so, challenge neo-traditional marriage formations and gender roles. In this particular project, I investigate how Fijian men experience these types of marriages with non-Fijian women and how they negotiate their masculinity within their marriages. I also explore how the confluence of colonial experiences, current globalization trends, and culture affect how these men understand their masculinity. I employ several methodologies including multiple interviews, participant observations, and visual anthropology methods. Through these methods, I explore how the relationship between Fijian men and non-Fijian women alters men’s experiences of masculinity and identity at the individual level. Results illustrate the importance of work in defining manhood, according to these men. As well, results suggest that the wives play a powerful role in influencing their husbands’ values with regards to work ethics and the general acceptance of global values. These relationships show the intersection and complexities that emerge between evolving ideas regarding masculinities and marriage, Fiji’s colonial experience and current global values.