ABSTRACT
In general terms academic commentary on blackness in Britain continues to be singularly affixed to issues such as crime and deviance, and ignores gendered issues, particularly in respect of black maleness. Historically the black male was commoditised as a tool of capitalist production, within oppressive regimes of colonialism. Recent history, however, has unearthed a transformation in the manner in which black personification is exploited: now it is used as a crude representation for violence, promiscuity and sexual excess. These representations strip the black male of intellectual, rational or cerebral capacity, and instead focus on him in physical or biological terms alone. Within these mythologised notions of black male sexuality, we see black men being eroticised and idolised, but then despised and condemned simultaneously. Deep-seated obsession with black sexuality and violence has led to a distortion of not only how others see black men but, more importantly, how some black males view themselves. What, then, does it actually mean to be a black man in Britain? Does not the term ‘black masculinity’ suggest that black men are a homogenous, standardised group? Is ‘black masculinities’ not a more appropriate starting point?
