Social Castration and Its Psychosocial Effects on Male Migrants in Irene Isoken's Sweet Revenge

This paper explores emasculation as a form of social and political castration of men both in the public and domestic spheres. Of course, men have been studied in the past from the perspective of their professions such as accountants, teachers, footballers, builders etc., but not as gendered beings until recently. The patriarchal dividends that seem to accrue to men from masculine mystique and gender role schema are deeply investigated in this study.

Adopting a qualitative approach, the study employs literary text analysis of Irene Isoken-Salami’s Sweet Revenge to investigate circumstances and situations that emasculate the man. The paper combines masculinity and psychoanalysis as frameworks for analysis. The study discovers that a migrant is beset with double yoke – the problem at the home front and the challenges in the country of residence. From Sota’s experience, migration, no doubt, creates social fault lines in marriage with resultant negative effects such as alcoholism, drug abuse, diminishing self- esteem, broken marriage among others. It is, therefore, suggested that male migrants from Africa to Europe, America or any part of the world, should do so with their spouse and children. This will help to keep the family together. Again, the male migrant should resist the temptation of making a new home in his country of residence so as to avoid its attendant social and psychological trauma which will ultimately emasculate him.

Keywords :  Emasculation, Masculine Mystique, Migration, Patriarchy, Schema,