I Could Be the Last Man: Changing Masculinities in Enga Society

Abstract

Enga tradition provides the ideal of a man who learned discipline mainly through initiation, and who lived independently from women while realising that he depended on women to make him who he was. In recent decades there have been radical transformations in Enga society, which have meant considerable change in men’s construction of identity. When their sons appear no longer to listen to them, older men wonder if they are the last of the real men. Younger men today face the prospect of having to invent new ways to achieve recognition as men. In today’s world relying on money for masculine status, there is greater social stratification in which some will succeed and many not. This affects men’s identity and the quality of their relationship with women. Despite sexual emancipation and changes in the understanding of marriage, gendered role expectations continue to find a place in most marriages; not meeting those expectations may generate tensions that can easily lead to verbal and physical violence.