“I’m Learning How to Be Who I Am”: Exploring Masculinities Among College Men of Color

• In Event: Reimagining Black Masculinities: Exploring the Educational Experiences of Black Boys and Men

Abstract

This study examined how men of color collegians accounted for their learning, development, and negotiation of masculinities along with their meaning making of their social identities. Specifically, I explored the narratives and meaning making of 63 students to understand how their pre-college masculine socializations contributed to their sense of self and what this meant for their (continued) learning during their college years. The findings of this social constructivist study reveal some of the tensions in these students’ learning and explorations of self, often straining ties with male family members and peers who continuously uphold traditional and hegemonic masculine ideologies. Students’ college years provide fertile ground for unpacking and resisting (some) traditional masculine norms as they pursue their authentic masculine selves.

Author

• Derrick R. Brooms, Morehouse College