In this talk, I focus on the analytical category of ‘political masculinities’. So, what are political masculinities? In discussing this, I consider: what counts as masculinity/ies, what counts as political, how do they connect? The connections are all too clear in much mainstream politics. The idea of political masculinities is also useful in analysis across social dimensions, from the psyche to body, interactions, institutions, representations, to the transnational and global. Perhaps more interesting still is thinking through political masculinities, and political men, to approach situations often seen as ‘less political’, even ‘non-political’. Such a perspective suggests that much depends on how political masculinities are placed in relation to further frames, such as anti-ageism, anti-racism and postcolonialism.

Jeff Hearn is Professor Emeritus at the Hanken School of Economics, Finland; Professor of Sociology at the University of Huddersfield, UK; Senior Professor of Gender Studies, Örebro University, Sweden; and Professor Extraordinarius at the Institute for Social and Health Studies, University of South Africa.

Since Kathleen Starck and Birgit Sauer published their definition of “Political Masculinities” in 2014, I have thought much about this concept and if it makes sense to create a new masculine category labelled “political masculinities.” I was specifically asked by the Workshop organizers to evaluate the concept in terms of its usefulness as an analytical category and its relationship to other masculinities. In this keynote I will therefore closely interrogate the concept so as to optimistically raise useful questions for further dialogue.

James W. Messerschmidt is Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Southern Maine, USA

Nikki van der Gaag: Can the Pandemic Reframe Patriarchy? A feminist take on power and political masculinities

This talk will interrogate the concept of political masculinities from a feminist perspective. It will outline the views and perspectives of feminists from different eras and locations, and then move to contemporary times to look at how backlash against gender equality and women’s rights is playing out in the political arena in a number of countries. It will touch on the pandemic, and how it has reinforced patriarchal notions of power. And finally, it will look at how we might use the idea that masculinities are inherently political to challenge current patriarchal orthodoxies in order to build a more gender equal world.

Nikki van der Gaag is independent gender consultant and Senior Fellow Promundo. She is former Director of Gender Justice and Women’s Rights, Oxfam UK.

Melody E. Valdini: Women who Represent Men: Preserving Political Masculinities Through Women Allies

In the early years of women’s presence in the political sphere, women in office shared many traits. No matter their party, these women were pathbreakers and (often quiet) feminists focused on increasing women’s equality. In recent years, however, elected women’s personalities and priorities have greatly diversified. Thus, it may be time to reconsider our expectations of the consequences of women’s representation. In this keynote, I consider the impact of the continuing norm of masculine practices and structures on the type of women who come to power, and I suggest that there is a potential for men to facilitate the rise of women who see the value (political or otherwise) of maintaining the power of political masculinities.

Melody E. Valdini is Professor and Chair of the Political Science Dept at Portland State University, USA.