News > March 27, 2008

By Steve Ettannani | Staff writer

Wingate Hall will be transformed into an intensive forum critically studying the role of men and masculinities in our society April 4-6, as the university will host the 16th annual American Men’s Studies Association (AMSA) conference.

The conference, which will include several workshops and presentations from more than 50 individuals ranging from teachers to practitioners, is being cosponsored by the university’s women’s and gender studies program and the department of religion.

Stephen Boyd, professor and chair of the department of religion, is a current member of the board of directors, founder, and two-time past president of AMSA.

Dr. Boyd notes that the inspiration for founding AMSA came when he began teaching a religion course at the university entitled “Gender and Religion”.

The course brought to light that while much material existed on women and feminist studies in religion as a result of the growth in feminine analysis in the 1980s, very little academic material existed in regard to men and religion.

Dr. Boyd, intent on equalizing the playing field, created the association.

Because of AMSA and its annual conference, an international network of scholars committed to the pursuit of the critical study of men and masculinity are able to exchange ideas and research with ease.

The creation of AMSA is a reflection of the importance of gender study.

Dr. Boyd believes that we, as people, “are shaped by the interaction of our biology and social expectations.”

He acknowledges that it is not until we “realize that our social position and much of what we think and do is historically and culturally conditioned” that we can relate to women and other men.

Furthermore, this year’s conference entitled “Masculinities and Institutions: Mapping the Connections,” much like past conferences, will illustrate that there is no singular male identity. Dr. Boyd asserts that the international components of the conference bring this to the forefront more so than any other component. Because international opinion and analysis, he notes that the “plurality of masculinities” is being realized.

In the spirit of plurality, a workshop will be conducted focusing on the cultural and psychological harm done to Native Americans, and Harry Charger, a Lakota Elder, will offer a presentation on rituals of healing Indian men. Additionally, the conference will feature the University Chair at the University of Sydney, Raewyn Connell, an American Sociological Association award winner for her work on sex and gender.

According to Dr. Boyd, the university will be at a great benefit as a result of hosting this year’s conference. Because of the nature of the workshops, and the vast breadth of the association, faculty and staff from several departments will be able to come together and pick each other’s brains. In particular, he hopes that the conference will serve to continue to expand the Women’s and Gender Studies program. It is a “great opportunity to continue to expand the (program) to include critical, academic perspectives on men and masculinities in our undergraduate and graduate programs,” he said.

Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program Wanda Balzano and the rest of the program’s staff, whom Dr. Boyd credits for the planning of the conference, share the ideals of AMSA as a facilitator of cross-cultural gender understanding.

Pre-conference workshops will occur concurrently on April 4 at 1:30 p.m., and the conference will begin the following morning at 8:30 a.m. The workshops will cost $25 dollars and all are encouraged to attend. More information regarding the workshops can be found by contacting Sara Hof at hofse5@wfu.edu.