The Brother Code

What is the role of manhood and masculinity in the lives of African American males in college? How domanhood norms influence decisions within and beyond college? How might mothers and fathersdifferentially affect manhood and masculinity in their sons? What are African American's men unique waysof knowing themselves and their surroundings? The Brother Code: Manhood and Masculinity among AfricanAmerican Men in College situates itself at the intersection of higher education and cultural studies to addressthese questions and more. Primarily, this book offers colleges and universities a penetrative gaze into acomplex web of identities-the manhood of African American males in college. Yet the book also seizes a rare opportunity in higher educationresearch to review six historical eras of African American manhood as well as the troublesome relationship between African American males andeducation in general.This knowledge is important for understanding all aspects of African American male participation in college, including enrollment, retention,curricular, and co-curricular involvement. Based on an empirical study, the data in this book emerged from one-on-one interviews in which 24 AfricanAmerican males enrolled in 12 colleges discussed how manhood matters in their social and college lives. The aim is to help unearth the marginalizedtopics of manhood, gender, and masculinity in males generally but more specifically among African American males, a marginalized student group ineducation. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the book draws upon literature in history, AfricanAmerican studies, gender studies, sociology, cultural studies, psychology, and anthropology.