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Abstract
The ‘kiwi bloke’ – practical, tough, and unemotional – is a national archetype of masculinity based on a colonial settler history in New Zealand/Aotearoa. Such nationally specific masculinities, however, are always created in relation to international forces. This study reveals the ways men negotiate the ‘kiwi bloke’ identity through their participation in an Afro-Brazilian martial art: capoeira. On one hand, Capoeira in New Zealand/Aotearoa offers participants access to alternative masculinities, including promoting collectivity, learning physical proximity, singing, and dancing. On the other hand, the congruence of Afro-Brazilian machismo and dominant white-settler masculinities in New Zealand/Aotearoa means that the ‘kiwi bloke’ is ever-present among capoeira practitioners. Coles (Coles, T., 2008. Finding space in the field of masculinity. Journal of sociology, 44(3), 233–248) concept of ‘mosaic masculinities’ helps to capture how men who play capoeira negotiate multiple dominant and subordinate masculine characteristics while retaining their gender privilege. This article demonstrates the complexity of mosaic masculinities and the importance of understanding multiple national social constructions in understanding local performances of masculinity.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the participants, funding provided by the University of Otago School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship, and the input of two anonymous reviewers.
Notes
1. The term whanau is sometimes used in ‘everyday’ language within New Zealand/Aotearoa. Its usage suggests a cosmopolitan, bi-cultural outlook.