No nut November: hegemonic masculinity among black boys in a South African boarding school

No Nut November (NNN) is an online challenge in which men and boys abstain from masturbation and ejaculation for the month of November. Informed by a new feminist materialist framing and assemblage theory, this article explores how black boys located within a privileged South African boarding school setting participate in this challenge. Data were generated through focus group discussions and semi-structured individual interviews with 27 boys aged 12–15. The findings illustrate that NNN is not simply a challenge but is entangled with the manosphere and claims to male power. Participation in NNN through abstention and the management of masturbation are viewed as signs of masculine strength and discipline. In this way, hegemonic ideals of masculinity are sustained. However, boys also find ways to circumvent the rigid rules by using coupons and humour to negotiate masturbation while retaining masculine status. Attending to the subtle, everyday circulation of the manosphere within peer cultures, digital practices and affective relations is essential if South African schools are to interrupt the mundane processes through which masculine dominance is sustained.