The Politicization of Sexuality
The Politicization of Sexuality
Whereas Thabo Mbeki reconfigured racial politics in his attempt to avoid financing antiretroviral provision while simultaneously promoting an African renaissance, President Jacob Zuma’s reign has been characterized by a certain sexualization of politics which are analyzed in this chapter through a comparison of the ‘traditional’ sexuality performed by Jacob Zuma and the complex practices of sexuality in the communities where research was conducted (including the practice of transactional sex). This chapter also illustrates how shifts in the political economy have instigated transformations in gender ideologies and sexual practices in the post-apartheid era. Although theories of masculinity in crisis have become popular in contemporary African studies, this chapter argues that the sexualization of politics signifies and masks deep-seated concerns about the ‘success’ of liberation.
Keywords: crisis of masculinity, sexuality, HIV, AIDS, tradition, transactional sex, postcolonial, neoliberalism, gender rights, Jacob Zuma
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