童妮•摩里森早期小說中的黑人男性與男性氣質

Abstract

黑人男性氣質在歷史上有經歷重大的變化。在歷史脈絡下，黑人男性氣質從非洲裔離散(the Black dispora)開始到二十世紀有顯著的變化。在一方面來說，黑人運動經歷內戰(the Civil War)、非裔美國人民權運動(the Civil Rights movement)和黑人民權運動(the Black power movement)。在另一方面來說，對於黑人男性氣質的論述也有對應的轉變。然而，更重要的是，隨著黑人女性主義(black feminism)的出現，黑人男性氣質也有重大的轉變。 在這樣的政治歷史脈絡下，童妮•摩里森的早期小說顯現了對應的黑人男性再現(representations)。在童妮•摩里森的小說中，黑人男性氣質呈現多樣化的面向，這同時展現了當時歷史脈絡下的黑人男性，也解構了白人對黑人男性的本質化(essentialization)。摩里森的黑人男性的再現，展現了她對於黑人通往自由之路的想像。黑人和白人的種族問題，不是黑男人和白男人的競賽，而是需要黑男人和黑女人的團結合作，並去除黑人中的性別歧視(sexism)。

In this thesis, I contextualize black masculinity in history from the Black diaspora to the twentieth century, and explore its trajectory of change and transformation. It can be observed that black masculinity has undergone a sea change since the Black diaspora, and that the discourse on black masculinity also contributes to its transformation. On the one hand, three apocalyptic moments in history contribute to such change, that is, the Civil War, the Civil Rights movement, and the Black movement. The black movements foreground the racial issues between the black and the white. On the other hand, the discourse on black masculinity also has corresponding changes. Race comes to intersect with gender among the black with the advent of black feminist movement where black feminists, male and female alike, begin to highlight the fissure between black men and black women in their joint venture against white supremacy. It is in this context that I intend to read Toni Morrison’s early novels where the representations of black men and masculinity are heavily informed by the politico-historical climate. In Morrison’s novels, black masculinity is subject to a motley assortment of representations rather than a rigid form of masculinity as generally defined. In this way, Morrison deconstructs black masculinity which is defined as opposed to hegemonic white masculinity. However, Morrison not merely deconstructs black masculinity, but also endorses a vision of black masculinity with black feminism, a form of black masculinity thatshe believes is conducive to black liberation.