Paulena Müller: “I´m not a nigger, I´m a man.” Intricacies of Masculinity and Race in Raoul Peck´s I Am Not Your Negro

Paulena Müller: “I´m not a nigger, I´m a man.” Intricacies of Masculinity and Race in Raoul Peck´s I Am Not Your Negro

Raoul Peck´s 2016 movie I Am Not Your Negro shows the relevance of American author James Baldwin´s thinking with regard to current racism issues in the USA. With a narration only out of Baldwin´s texts, it provides insight in Baldwin´s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement and his deconstructive analysis of race as a power structure. The article examines how this deconstruction of white supremacy intersects with gender, focusing specifically on the depiction of masculinity in reference to Raewyn Connell´s model of hegemonic masculinity. It is argued that hegemonic masculinity simultaneously serves as a potential target of power deconstruction and a tool to overcome racial oppression.