PhD candidateThesis: Being Boys in Fiji
Bula, my name is Priyam Maharaj. I am from Fiji, and having completed my Master's in Sociology from the University of the South Pacific in 2020, I am now working towards my PhD. I am passionate about studying social constructions of gender identities, parenting and family life.
My master's study focused on men's experiences of fatherhood and masculinities in Fiji's urban spaces. Drawing inspiration from men's reflections on their own childhood from that study, my current research focuses on boyhood in Fiji. This study will provide an updated understanding of boys' lived experiences, the challenges they face as they figure out what it means to be a boy, and how they interpret cultural messages about masculinity and respond to societal pressures to conform.
It is my hope that the outcomes of this research inform social policy recommendations and dialogue on gender and development as well fill the literature gap on existing models of masculinities in Fiji in which boys are embedded.