CALL FOR CHAPTERS: Men at the Margins: Decolonising Masculinity and Intersectionality 
Edited collection for Routledge - Editors: Sofia Aboim (University of Lisbon), Ernesto Vasquez del Aguila (University College Dublin) 

Aims and contribution of the edited book
Men at the Margins aims to explore the range of experiences of men living outside hegemonic norms of masculinity, from a transnational perspective and across the geographies of the Global South and Global North. We particularly welcome original contributions that interrogate how marginalised masculinities are intersectionally shaped by race, class, gender identity, migration and other relevant factors. We welcome original research, practice and/or theory that explores multiple aspects of marginalised masculinities. Papers that mobilise a decolonial perspective and promote cross-fertilisation between critical studies of masculinities and postcolonial and decolonial studies are particularly encouraged.

Examples of topics could include, but are not limited to:

- Dynamics of marginalisation vis-à-vis hegemonic masculinities

- Masculinities, colonial legacies and decolonisation

- Post-colonisation, neo-coloniality and war-torn contexts

- Consequences of violence and militarisation for men and masculinities

- Masculinities and intersectionality

- Masculinities, migration and diaspora

- Violence(s), populism and the global Manosphere

- Beyond binary constructions of masculinity, including a focus on the experiences of trans, LGBTQ+ people and queer masculinities

- Race and racial discrimination

- Experiences of health and Wellbeing

- Care, family and fatherhood

- Poverty, precariousness and work

- Sexuality, affect, and intimacy

- Resistances and social movements

- The media and social representations

- Other topics related to the main theme of the edited collection. 

Submission process and deadlines:

If you are interested in contributing, please submit an abstract of 300 words and a 200-word biographical note addressed to Sofia Aboim (sofia.aboim@ics.ulisboa.pt) and Ernesto Vasquez del Aguilla (ernesto.vasquezdelaguila@ucd.ie).

Call for abstracts (deadline): 30 September 2024 

Notification of acceptance: 30 November 2024

The final submission will be in the form of a chapter of 6,000 words, including references.

 *** More information:

Brief description and rationale:

In recent years, the dynamics of masculinity and power have evolved significantly, influenced by global and transnational forces such as the spread of AI and digital capitalism, populist politics, the intensification of the ‘manosphere’ – digital platforms that promote male supremacy and anti-feminist ideologies – and a burgeoning culture of war and militarisation. In the midst of these developments, hegemonic masculinity has been able to consolidate and flourish, continually reinforced by mechanisms of oppression, right-wing extremism or the concentrated power of corporate and technological elites. Key conditions are in place to facilitate the spread of aggressive, exclusionary forms of masculinity. Digital platforms propagate misogynistic and extremist ideologies that appeal particularly to young men seeking a sense of belonging and purpose. The culture of war and the militarisation of masculinity glorify values associated with toughness and dominance, reinforcing traditional masculine ideals against gender equality, the rights of women, LBGTIQ+ groups, migrants and racial minorities.

Indeed, numerous backlashes have intensified gender and racial violence, influenced by traditional notions of masculinity. This cultural context is often exploited by extremist groups who use martial imagery and rhetoric to recruit and radicalise men. These shifts are epitomised by figures such as Elon Musk, who represents a new archetype of hegemonic masculinity characterised by technological dominance, political extremism and militarism, wealth accumulation and significant socio-cultural influence (The Guardian, 2024; Little & Winch, 2021). These developments have encouraged the intensification of analyses of those in power. Scholarly attention has rightly focused on these multiple backlashes and their deep connections to men and masculinities (Hakola et al., 2021).

As masculinity re-ignites conservative scripts, especially among young men (Cox, 2023), the time is ripe to broaden our understanding of the consequences of these backlashes on the hierarchies of power between different groups of men. The power of some means the marginalisation of many others around the world. In her foundational theoretical framework, Raewyn Connell (2005) posited that hegemonic masculinity exists not only in opposition to femininity, but also in relation to marginalised and subordinated masculinities. Men who are marginalised in terms of race, ethnicity, migrant status, class, gender or sexuality experience increased oppression around the world (Sinatti, 2014). While hegemonic masculinity is not the most prevalent form, it is typically culturally endorsed at particular historical moments. At present, the wide range of multiplying masculinities built on the margins face difficult challenges in practice and theory.

Men at the Margins aims to explore the range of experiences of men living outside hegemonic norms of masculinity, from a transnational perspective and across the geographies of the Global South and Global North. Building on the foundational work of Raewyn Connell, Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities, and incorporating the theoretical lenses of intersectionality (Christensen & Jensen, 2014; Evans, 2019) and decoloniality (Quijano, 2024), this book expands knowledge of the diverse ways in which gender and masculinity intersect with other factors and are lived and constructed at the intersection of multiple identities. The study of masculinities has often focused on dominant groups or on specific marginalised and subaltern groups, overlooking the rich complexity of experiences at the intersection of gender with race, class, sexuality and other social dimensions. Such an approach is critical to addressing the complexity of masculinities in a globally interconnected world marked by significant social and economic transformations and difficult imbalances between privilege and oppression. This book addresses this critical gap and, through a decolonial and intersectional lens, provides insights into the lives of those whose masculine identities are shaped by multiple marginalisations and axes of power, privilege and oppression.

Editor Bios

Sofia Aboim is a Research Professor of Sociology at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon. She has been involved in numerous research projects, including a European Research Council Consolidator Grant (CoG 615594) and is currently leading the RACE TROUBLE project funded by the Portuguese Science Foundation. This project explores the intersections of gender, migration, race and ethnicity. Sofia’s recent publications include numerous academic articles and the monographs Plural Masculinities. The remaking of the self in private life (Routledge, 2016) and Gender Fields. The social organisation of gender identity (Routledge, 2024). Sofia’s recent work explores the intersections of gender, masculinities and trans identities with multiple marginalisations, from postcolonial and decolonial perspectives.

Ernesto Vasquez del Aguila is an Assistant Professor at University College Dublin, Ireland. By background, he is a medical anthropologist with a PhD from Columbia University, New York. He has published in areas of masculinities, sexual and reproductive rights; transnational migration; global health; sexualities and global health. He co-edited Unsustainable Institutions of Men: Transnational Dispersed Centres, Gender Power, Contradictions (Routledge 2019) and is the author of Being a Man in a Transnational World: The Masculinity and Sexuality of Migration (Routledge 2014). He has previously taught at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima; Georgetown University, Washington, DC; and at the University of the Philippines, Manila.

References:

Christensen, A. D., & Jensen, S. Q. (2014). Combining hegemonic masculinity and intersectionality. NORMA, 9(1), 60–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/18902138.2014.892289

Collins, Patricia Hill. (2004). Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New Racism. Routledge.

Connell, R. W. (2005). Masculinities. University of California Press.

Crenshaw, Kimberlé. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum.

Evans, Gareth Lloyd, 'Intersectional Masculinities', Men and Masculinities in the Sagas of Icelanders (Oxford, 2019; online edn, Oxford Academic, 20 Dec. 2018), https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198831242.003.0004, accessed 6 May 2024.

Hakola, O., Salminen, J. Turpeinen, J. & Winberg, O. (2021). The Culture and Politics of Populist Masculinities. Lexington Books.

Haywood, C. & Johansson, T. (2017). Marginalized Masculinities. Contexts, Continuities and Change. Routledge

Hearn, Jeff. (2004). From Hegemonic Masculinity to the Hegemony of Men. Feminist Theory, 5(1), 49- 72.

hooks, bell. (2004). The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. Atria Books.

Little, B., Winch, A. (2021). The New Patriarchs of Digital Capitalism. Celebrity Tech Founders and Networks of Power. Routledge.

Messerschmidt, James W. (2018). Hegemonic Masculinity: Formulation, Reformulation, and Amplification. Rowman & Littlefield.

Pascoe, C. J. (2007). Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School. University of California Press.

Quijano, A. (2024). Foundational Essays on the Coloniality of Power. Editors: Mignolo, W., R. Segato, and E. Walsh. Durham: Duke University Press.

Sinatti, G. (2014). 11 Masculinities and Intersectionality in Migration: Transnational Wolof Migrants Negotiating Manhood and Gendered Family Roles. In: Truong, TD., Gasper, D., Handmaker, J., Bergh, S. (eds) Migration, Gender and Social Justice. Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace, vol 9. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28012-2_11

The Guardian (2024). Democrats investigate Elon Musk’s SpaceX over Russian ‘misuse’ of Starlink. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/mar/07/russia-starlink-inves...