Uroš Kovač, "The Precarity of Masculinity: Football, Pentecostalism, and Transnational Aspirations in Cameroon" (Berghahn Books, 2022)

Sep 30, 2024

Uroš Kovač, a researcher at the University of Groningen, delves into the lives of young Cameroonian footballers exploring aspirations shaped by masculinity and spirituality. He discusses how the quest for football careers intertwines with Pentecostal beliefs, providing hope amidst economic struggle. The harsh realities of migration challenge these dreams, while traditional masculinity is reshaped through spirituality. Kovač sheds light on how these young men navigate their identities, societal expectations, and the precariousness of their aspirations in a globalized world.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Navigating Masculinity and Migration in Cameroon

01:40 • 18min

Ethnography in Cameroon Football Academies

19:33 • 12min

Navigating Precarity: Dreams and Realities of Young Cameroonian Men

31:58 • 14min

Religious Resilience: Football and Masculinity in Cameroon

45:31 • 13min

Navigating Masculinity and Hope: The Role of Pentecostalism Among Young Footballers in Cameroon

58:43 • 5min

Hope and Masculinity in Motion

01:03:48 • 8min

A compelling work that explores the lives and aspirations of young footballers with deep nuance and insight, The Precarity of Masculinity: Football, Pentecostalism, and Transnational Aspirations in Cameroon (Berghahn Books, 2022) shows how precarious masculinity, Pentecostal spirituality, and aspirations of prosperous futures are intertwining and interrelated in the everyday lives in Southwest regions of Cameroon.

Since the 1990s, an increasing number of young men in Cameroon have aspired to play football as a career and a strategy to migrate abroad. Migration through the sport promises fulfillment of masculine dreams of sports stardom, as well as opportunities to earn a living that have been hollowed out by the country’s long economic stalemate. The aspiring footballers are increasingly turning to Pentecostal Christianity, which allows them to challenge common tropes of young men as stubborn and promiscuous, while also offering a moral and bodily regime that promises success despite the odds. Yet the transnational sports market is tough and unpredictable: it demands disciplined young bodies and introduces new forms of uncertainty. The book unpacks young Cameroonians’ football dreams, Pentecostal faith, obligations to provide, and desires to migrate to highlight the precarity of masculinity in structurally adjusted Africa and neoliberal capitalism.

Uroš Kovač is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Groningen’s Centre for Religion, Conflict, and Globalization. He is a social anthropologist researching gender, migration, religion and development, often through the prism of sports in Africa and Europe.

Yadong Li is a PhD student in anthropology at Tulane University. His research interests lie at the intersection of the anthropology of state, the anthropology of time, hope studies, and post-structuralist philosophy. More details about his scholarship and research interests can be found here.

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