'Muslim brothers, black lads, traditional Asians': British Muslim young men's constructions of race, religion and masculinity

Despite the growth of academic inter est in masculinity, issues around blac k masculinity remain largely undertheorized. British Muslim men ar-e notice ably absent in the literature, despite their increasing representation in p ublic discourses as fundamentalist, 'ultimate Others' (Phoenix, 1997). This article uses a critical feminist approach to explore young Muslim men's co nstruction of racialized, gendered identities. Discussion groups were condu cted with 24 young British Muslims, aged 14-15 years. Half of the groups we re conducted by the white, British,female author, and the other half by a B ritish-Pakistani female researcher. Particular attention is given to the yo ung men's use of discourses of hegemonic masculinity in their negotiations between 'Muslim', 'black' and 'Asian' masculinities. Issues are also raised with regard to the role of the researcher(s) and the interaction of 'race' and gender between interviewers and participants in the production of rese arch.