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Redemption in His Arms: Rethinking Masculinity through Care and Connection.

In his arms lies not just a child, but a vision of what masculinity can become: tender,
redemptive, and whole.

In this image, a young father cradles his infant daughter with her tiny body reclining
peacefully in the calm assurance of his arms. Beyond its immediate beauty, this moment
captures a profound act of resistance, a silent revolution, a quiet and calm articulation of what
it means to be a man. In his embrace, care supplants control, vulnerability resonates with
strength, and connection supersedes detachment; concepts that once clouded the construction
of masculinity. My brother, as portrayed in the image above, represents what liberated and
redeemed masculinity looks like, a lived example of how men can participate in healing the
wounds created by rigid, normative cultural and religious norms.

In many cultures, there is a systemic crisis regarding masculinity, what it means to be a man
and a father. Dube (2012:334) defines masculinity as the construction of male identities
characterized by change and context. This means that masculinity is not static and it is
context-specific. Togarasei (2012:231) takes this further by defining masculinity as a set of
behavioural patterns that men ought to follow in each given society. In both definitions,
masculinity carries a normative character that makes it embedded in a specific culture and
situated within varying dynamics. This means that to be truly a man, one has to engage in
prescribed activities that describe or embody authentic manhood within a particular setting.
This is defined as hegemonic masculinity in Connell’s theory of masculinities, in which she
highlights how cultural articulations of manhood subscribe to dominance, emotional
detachment, and violence (Connell 1995:77). Masculinity, understood and acted in this way,
Kabelo Sekoati 224170750

marginalizes alternative expressions of masculinity such as care, connection, and

Maluleke (2003:186) observes that men within patriarchal cultures are brought up with an
embedded ideology of authority, which is acted out by commanding respect over women and
children. Manhood, in this case, is defined within the elements of dominance, power,
emotional detachment, and violence. In many cultures, subscribing to patriarchy, masculinity
has been conceived in a form of status that is characterized by toughness, aggressiveness,
detachment, and sexuality (Chirovamavi 2012:218). In this case, expression of different
masculinity, which Connell theorizes as contradictory to the normalized and accepted forms
of masculinity, faces marginalization and rejection since it performs masculinity outside
heteronormative constructions, which consider vulnerability and care as weakness.

The subject of men and masculinities, which has gained prominence in the academic field,
invites men to explore alternative constructions of masculinity. Such alternative constructions
should aim to give life and redefine what it means to be a man. This is an attempt to depart
from toxic and hegemonic masculinities to embark on liberative and redemptive
masculinities. My brother’s image holding his infant daughter, as shown above, heeds such a
call and acts as a counter-narrative to the rigid cultural and religious norms that equate
manhood to dominance, violence, and detachment. In this moment, masculinity is not
asserted through violence or dominance, but embodied through tenderness, presence, and
affection. This is the masculinity that is both freed from patriarchal victimhood and that
challenges patriarchal enforcement. It is indeed a response to Nadar’s (2009:559) invitation
to reflect on masculinity that is transformed, offering an example for men seeking positive
masculinities and portraying what redefined masculinity in terms of liberation and
redemption entails.

Redemptive masculinity oversteps and overturns gender roles, which are normatively
constructed based on power dynamics, where women are left with what is regarded as
feminine chores and men are endowed with masculine work. Gender roles, as observed by
Ncube (2025:181), contrast masculinity with femininity, which in turn subjugates femininity
under masculinity, leading to men’s dominance and abuse. Duties such as caring for children
and cooking are often left to women and are regarded as unmanly. Thus, images like my
brother’s offer a new perspective on blurred gender roles where men are capable of taking
care of children.
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Bibliography

Chirovamavi, M. 2012. Fathering alternative masculinities: The Joseph model, in Chitando,

Connell, R.W. 1995. Masculinities. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Dube, M.W. 2012. Youth masculinities and violence in an HIV and AIDS context: sketches
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Redemptive Masculinities: Men, HIV and Religion. Geneva: World Council of Churches
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Gibson Ncube (2025) Edible Bodies? Conspicuous Consumption, Women’s Bodies and
Postcolonial Masculinities in Fast-Food Advertisements in Zimbabwe, Journal of African
Cultural Studies, 37:2, 177-193, DOI: 10.1080/13696815.2024.2365163.

Maluleke, T.S. 2003. Men and fatherhood, in Dube, M.W. (ed.) Africa Praying: A Handbook
on HIV/AIDS Sensitive Sermon Guidelines and Liturgy. Geneva: World Council of Churches.

Nadar, S. 2009. Palatable patriarchy and violence against wo/men in South Africa: Angus
Buchan’s Mighty Men’s Conference as a case study of masculinism, Scriptura.

Togarasei, L. 2012. Paul and masculinity: implications for HIV and AIDS responses among
African Christians, in Chitando, E. and Chirongoma, S. (eds.) Redemptive Masculinities:
Men, HIV and Religion. Geneva: World Council of Churches Publications.
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