Call for Book Chapters: A Humanities Pedagogy Approach to Modern Masculinity (under contract with Routledge) 

Edited by Nahum N. Welang 

Theme:

A 2022 UNESCO report revealed that due to a variety of complex reasons, such as poverty, gender norms, bullying and COVID-19 (p.45), many primary and secondary school age boys are becoming disengaged from education, resulting in low motivation and poor social skills. Moreover, many young men admit to feeling disengaged or alienated from a sense of community because “no one really knows me very well” (Equimundo p.3 2023). This is an urgent societal issue because as Rachel Kleinfeld, scholar of democratic polarization and violence, points out, there is a causal relationship between alienation and radicalization. Kleinfeld argues that because we “spent decades building a path for empowered…girls, without any accompanying effort to craft a broader and more secure sense of masculinity for the men who needed to stand alongside them,” we are now “reaping the backlash” (2004). The backlash Kleinfeld is referring to here is echoed in the rise of the “manosphere,” online communities led by popular influencers like Andrew Tate and Adin Ross who advocate for masculinity norms that often violent and intolerant (Wescott et al. 2024). This argument is endorsed by countless reports, from the United States of America to Norway to South Korea, of alienated boys and young men who idolize Tate because he is, they believe, the only one validating their anxieties and providing solutions to their problems. 

The classroom, due to its unique ability to promote social inclusion and inspire critical thinking, provides pedagogical opportunities to combat this growing trend of young male disengagement. The study of literature, and other associated Humanities branches like media and cultural studies, is particularly important because teacher-led discussions about cultural texts challenge students to interrogate a range of engaging narratives, which reflect their lived experiences and imaginatively offer optimistic visions of more equitable and sustainable futures. These teacher-led discussions are, in other words, community-driven exercises that enable students to develop relevant skills such as communication, collaboration, evaluation and open-mindedness, skills with the assured capacity to improve social engagement and reverse the ongoing trend of male alienation and radicalization.   

This volume thus strives to encourage the production of forward-thinking observations and strategies that draw upon practices from Humanities disciplines to explore compelling alternative narratives to the harmful masculinity ideals emanating from the manosphere. These diverse alternative narratives are urgently necessary because they provide avenues for both teachers and students in various educational levels, from primary school to university, to challenge the ideological dominance of the manosphere by exploring masculinity ideals that are positive and inclusive. 

I am interested in contributors with critical and intersectional insights into how Humanities disciplines can effectively address this ongoing crisis of modern masculinity in classrooms. Contributors can either submit a “critical resources” chapter (literary and/or media/cultural criticism) or a “classroom practices” chapter (pedagogy-focused criticism).

* For this cfp, priority will be given to contributors whose primary materials are media and cultural texts (social media, film, television, AI and technology, videogames, intermediality etc.).

* I am also interested in a chapter, which focuses on female radicalization. The #tradwives social media movement, for example, a movement encouraging a return to traditional gender roles, is arguably a byproduct of the manosphere’s popularity and influence.

Submission Guidelines:

Interested contributors should please send an abstract (300-500 words) and a one-page CV highlighting their educational background and research dissemination activities (peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, guest talks etc.) to nahum.welang@nord.no

If you want to brainstorm or discuss an idea before officially submitting an abstract, please feel free to contact me using the same email address.

Timeline:

Abstract Submission Deadline: 1 June 2025

Notification of Acceptance: 8 June 2025

Full Submission Deadline: October 2025

Peer Review Feedback: December 2025

Final Submission Deadline: February 2026

Full Submission:

Word Limit: 5,000 – 7,000 words (including references)

Referencing: TBA

About the Editor:

Nahum N. Welang is an Associate Professor of English Literature/Culture and Didactics at Nord University (Norway). He has authored a monograph, edited a Special Issue and contributed to several edited volumes. His research has also been published in the Journal of Popular Culture, the Canadian Review of American Studies, the Journal of Transnational American Studies, Open Cultural Studies and others.