Theorizing “Odogwu Masculinities”
Nigerian Popular Culture and the Construction of the Empowered “Odogwu” Ideal Male
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12412708 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Omotayo Jemiluyi (0000-0001-7573-1746, University of Missouri, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Men s Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1060-8265 • E-ISSN: 1933-0251 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10608265261433374 |
| OpenAlex | W7134959601 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 45 |
The word Odogwu has gained significant popularity in contemporary Nigerian discourse, particularly due to its pervasive circulation within the nation’s eclectic and creative popular culture. Upon this widespread recognition, this study theorizes and examines the construction and performance of Odogwu masculinities within Nigerian popular culture, focusing specifically on music and Nollywood as key sites of gendered identity construction. Rooted in traditional Igbo concepts of valor, leadership, and resilience, the Odogwu figure has been (re)configured in urban Nigeria. Employing a qualitative, multi-method approach through a detailed lyrical and visual semiotic analysis of Burna Boy’s hit song “Odogwu” (2020) complemented by a close reading and visual analysis of the Nollywood film Love in Every Word (2025), the study posits core traits such as economic power, social recognition, cultural legitimacy, and performative visibility defining Odogwu masculinities, further arguing that the performance of Odogwuness is diverse, reflecting varied enactments and not a “monolithic” ideal
Ideal (ethics · Identity (music · Igbo · Performative utterance · Popular culture · Popular music · Popularity · Reading (process · Semiotics · African history and culture studies · African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ Issues · Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies
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Popular Culture, Literature, and the Arts in Nigeria
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African Popular Culture Enters the Global Mainstream
Resisting Neocolonial Chains
Symbolism and social order among the Igbo
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Conspicuous redistribution
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Continuity and Discontinuity
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Nollywood and the hybrid postcolonial space
Masculinity, Money, and the Postponement of Parenthood in Nigeria
Popular Music in Nigeria
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Hegemonic Masculinity
Theorizing Intimacies and Articulation in Nigerian Hip Hop Music
Àjẹ́kùnrin
Playing with Difference
Popular Culture and Decolonisation
Pandemic masculinity
Performing Nigerianness
Mixed methods research
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |