Browsing by Subject "Murle (African people)"

This study researches the construction of masculinity among the Murle pastoralist tribe, an ethnic minority inhabiting the southeastern part of South Sudan. It focuses on the Murle men who belong to the Laŋo age-set, a social group in the tribe, which includes individuals of 25-35 years old. Drawing on masculinity studies the research investigates how Murle Laŋo men enact traditional hegemonic masculinity through the practices of warring for the tribe and marriage, both of which are centrally related to herding and raiding cattle. The study also examines how traditional Murle norms and practices of masculinity are being tested and changed by the political and economic marginalization that the Murle community has been confronting historically during British colonialism and more recently since 2011 after the independence of South Sudan. The thesis sheds light on the Murle religio-cultural worldview underlying the tribe’s social norms and practices, and specifically men and their masculine roles. Religion in this study is understood through the lens of Murle cultural system where particular beliefs, rituals, and ethical values contribute to the formation of shared identity among Laŋo age-set youth. The study adopts Linda Woodhead’s (2011) multidimensional approach to religion and shows that religion is intertwined with culture, social structures, power relations, and identity. This study is informed by ethnographic research in which data was collected through participant observation in 2016–17 among the Murle in Boma State; life story interviews with the Laŋo age-set leader; and semi-structured interviews and informal discussions with numerous Murle interlocutors in Pibor and Juba, South Sudan. The study also draws on a collection of Murle songs which are sung in pre-fighting and reconciliation meetings. The songs are analyzed as a mode of expression through which Murle norms and identity are affirmed whilst also revealing the tensions and on-going changes in this tradition. The findings of the study show that the Murle is a community in transition. While the age-set structure and men’s role as warriors still remain important for the protection of the tribe, some significant changes are taking place. Joining armed rebel groups and becoming entangled in political conflicts against the government is also becoming part of the life path of Murle Laŋo men. Also, community leaders and chiefs (who are seen as enabling the corruption of the government) are being increasingly challenged by the age-set youth; and new alliances are being formed between Laŋo age-sets of different tribes. The idiom ‘locking horns’ in the title of this thesis, evokes the imagery of the Laŋo mascot animal, kob. The idiom, which means fighting, refers to Laŋo’s challenge of traditional authority structures. Another notable change is guns replacing sticks as the weapon of choice among the Murle age-sets as they become more involved in armed conflicts against the government, leading to more blood shed. For some men, opting out all together from the age-set structure and downplaying their Murle identity and tradition is the way to deal with the challenges confronted by the tribe. This study illuminates how masculinity in the Murle context is constructed through particular religio-cultural meanings, narratives, and practices that have their inherent tensions. On the one hand, warring, stick-fighting, and cattle raiding are integral to the desirable and normative Murle masculinity. On the other hand, peace-making and ethical values that affirm sharing and nobility with the vulnerable and the enemies are also part of this hegemonic masculinity. The study highlights that Murle masculinity norms and practices are not static but are shaped and impacted by multidimensional contextual factors such as armed conflict, poverty, economic and political marginalization, and displacement. The study disputes the assumed direct link between hegemonic masculinity and violence presented in some gender research and suggests instead that the relationship between the two is more complex. The study also sheds light on the all-encompassing framework that a tribal religion provides in the life of the Murle pastoralists. Last, the study elucidates the resilience and ability of the Murle to adapt to changing situations of uncertainty and instability.