To be a man is not a one-day job : masculinity, money, and intimacy in Nigeria

La 4e de couv. indique : "Refrains about financial hardship are ubiquitous in contemporary Nigeria, frequently expressed through the idiom 201Cto be a man is not a one-day job.201D But while men talk constantly about money, underlying their economic worries are broader concerns about the shifting meanings of masculinity, amid changing expectations and practices of intimacy. Drawing on twenty-five years of experience in southeastern Nigeria, Daniel Jordan Smith takes readers through the principal phases and arenas of men2019s lives: the transition to adulthood; searching for work and making a living; courtship, marriage, and fatherhood; fraternal and political relationships; and finally, the attainment of elder status and death. He relates men2019s struggles both to fulfill their own aspirations and to meet society2019s expectations. He also considers men who behave badly, mistreat their wives and children, or resort to crime and violence. All of these men face similar challenges as they navigate the complex geometry of money and intimacy. Unraveling these connections, Smith argues, provides us with a deeper understanding of both masculinity and society in Nigeria." Nigerian men regularly characterize the challenges of manhood with the expression 'to be a man is not a one-day job.' Usually this proclamation is tied directly to anxieties about money. Refrains about monetary hardships are ubiquitous in contemporary Nigeria. But while men talk frequently about money, underlying their economic worries are broader concerns about the shifting meanings of masculinity, marked by changing expectations and practices of intimacy. Drawing on the author's 25 years of experience in southeastern Nigeria, much of it spent in the company of men, the text argues that money and intimacy are deeply bound together in men's lives, and that unraveling these connections enables a better understanding of both masculinity and Nigerian society