MASCULINISED DISCOURSES WITHIN EDUCATION AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF BLACK-MALE IDENTITIES AMONGST AFRICAN CARIBBEAN YOUTH

Boys in general, and Black boys in particular, are being excluded fron school in ever increasing and disproportionate numbers, drawing atten tion to the need for a closer examination of the interrelationship bet ween 'race' and gender. Clearly, young Black masculinities are not exp ressed in isolation, but are, amongst other influences, informed and s haped by school processes. Within schools, the ways in which masculini ties are portrayed plays a major part in the relationships that exist between Black males and their peers and teachers. Thus, the experience s of Black pupils in school are mediated through their gendered identi ties. This paper discusses such experiences through the findings of a recently completed study of school exclusions and educational performa nce, in which young excludees have been interviewed and ethnographic s chool research conducted. The study explores the nature of 'excluded' identities by looking at how processes of exclusion act to position yo ung Black males within discourses of conflict, alienation and cultural misunderstanding. The findings suggest that: (i) young Black men are positioned ambivalently by White teachers and male peers resulting in less positive perceptions of their masculinities; (ii) expressions of Black masculinity should not be interpreted as misdirected responses t o an inability to attain specific White masculinities; (iii) the views of the young male excludees challenge differential treatment and dama ging stereotypes and warn against 'over masculinising' the identities of young Black boys; and (iv) restricting discussion of the problemati c nature of relationships between Black males and White teachers and m ale peers, with respect to expressions of masculinity, can act to path ologise Black identities and suggest that Black youth are themselves r esponsible for their own positioning.