NORMA

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

Published on 3 Nov 2026

by Deevia Bhana Rabia Rizvi School of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South AfricaDeevia Bhana, the South African Research Chair in Gender and Childhood Sexuality at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, examines sexualities in the young life course. Among her recent books are Gender and Young People's Digital Sexual Cultures (Palgrave Macmillan 2025) and Girls and the Negotiation of Porn in South Africa: Power, Play and Sexuality (Routledge 2023).Rabia Rizvi, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, writes on young people, gender and sexuality. Among her recent publications is ‘“Cover up”: girls, gender and dress codes in a boarding house’, co-authored with Deevia Bhana (Journal of Gender Studies 2026).

Assimilative, individual and wounded: men’s identities and masculinities in everyday lockdown life

Published on 15 Oct 2026

by Leena Autonen-Vaaraniemi Suvi Holmberg Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, FinlandLeena Autonen-Vaaraniemi is a University Lecturer in Social Work at Tampere University. Her research interests include masculinity studies, fatherhood, and family studies.Suvi Holmberg is a University Lecturer in Social Work at Tampere University. Her research interests include illness as a sociocultural phenomenon, psychosocial cancer research, and qualitative research methods and methodologies.

Hegemonic masculinity in later life: older men exercising citizenship in wartime Ukraine

Published on 15 Oct 2026

by Anna Shadrina Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UKAnna Shadrina is a lecturer in Sociology at the University of Liverpool. Her research examines the political imaginaries of ageing. She investigates how political actors use ideas about older adults and later life to promote diverse agendas.

‘Now I have a new circle of friends’: building respectable aged masculinities through friendships in the context of migration

Published on 8 Oct 2026

by Larisa Shpakovskaya Anastasia Asikainen Ilkka Pietilä Department of Social and Public Policy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandLarisa Shpakovskaya is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. Her research focuses on migration, aging, gender, intimacy, care, and the social lives of migrants, particularly in later life. Shpakovskaya has published widely on topics such as sexual citizenship, family law, state policy, and migrant experiences. Currently she examines social relationships, belonging, and well-being among aging Russian-speaking migrants in Finland.Anastasia Asikainen is a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki. Her work is situated at the intersection of Sociology and Social and Public Policy addressing topics of migration, lived aspects of integration and a sense of belonging. Her work has empirically focused on voluntary organisations and the Russian-speaking population of Finland. Asikainen has published research on voluntary-sector meeting places and the lived experiences of older Russian-speaking migrants in Finland, and she completed her doctoral dissertation on conditional belonging in voluntary organised settings for older migrants.Ilkka Pietilä is an Assistant Professor of Social Gerontology in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki. His research focuses on ageing, health, and wellbeing, with particular expertise in men’s health, masculinities, and later-life social relations. Pietilä’s work spans qualitative and discourse-analytic approaches to topics such as aging identities, peer support, and social participation among older adults, and he has published extensively on these themes in international journals.

Mobilising wen to contest internal hegemony: exploring the discursive construction of Chinese hegemonic masculinities in racialised borderscapes in the UK

Published on 8 Oct 2026

by Mingzhi Li Stephanie Schnurr Centre for Applied Linguistics, The University of Warwick, Coventry, UKMingzhi Li, PhD, is a sociolinguist whose work explores the intersection of language, identity, and power in transnational contexts. His research centres on gender and language, with a particular focus on the discursive construction of masculinities among Chinese international students in the UK. Drawing on critical discourse analysis, interactional sociolinguistics, and narrative approaches, his work examines how individuals negotiate social norms, cultural expectations, and linguistic ideologies in everyday talk. Mingzhi recently completed his PhD in Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick and is currently involved in several interdisciplinary projects related to research culture, equity, and inclusion within academia.Stephanie Schnurr is a Professor of Sociolinguistics at the University of Warwick. Her research examines language in professional and institutional contexts, with a particular interest in the complex ways in which hegemonic (and other) forms of masculinities and femininities are enacted, reinforced, challenged, and contested in these contexts. Her work is interdisciplinary in orientation and published widely, bringing together insights from sociolinguistics and discourse studies, as well as gender studies, sociology, and anthropology.

Relocating mining masculinity: early retirement and the everyday lives of mineworkers in Zonguldak

Published on 8 Oct 2026

by Atilla Barutçu Fatma Umut Beşpınar a Department of Sociology, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, Turkeyb Department of Sociology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, TurkeyAtilla Barutçu is an Associate Professor at Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University in Zonguldak, Turkey. He studied Sociology at Middle East Technical University and received his PhD in Women’s Studies from Ankara University. He is a member of the Initiative for Critical Studies of Masculinities (ICSM), based in Turkey, and of the editorial board of Feminist Tahayyül: Akademik Araştırmalar Dergisi. He is particularly interested in men and masculinities, body and performance, queer theory, city and space. He is currently conducting research on men’s engagement in gender equality in Turkey.Fatma Umut Beşpınar completed her undergraduate and graduate studies in Sociology at Middle East Technical University and earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Beşpınar is a Professor of Sociology at Middle East Technical University, where she also serves as the Chair of the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies. Her academic interests include the sociology of gender, disaster sociology, labor and work, and social policy. She has conducted research on topics such as women’s work practices, violence against women, sexual assault and harassment in universities, poverty, and discrimination, with support from national and international institutions.

Politi-clavicular state: when political masculinity espouses protest masculinity through the male body and looksmaxxing

Published on 22 Sep 2026

by Ozan Félix Sousbois a Department of Media and Social Sciences, University of Stavanger (UiS), Stavanger, Norwayb CETOBAC (Centre d'études turques, ottomanes, balkaniques et centrasiatiques) / EHESS, Aubervilliers Cedex, FranceOzan Félix Sousbois is former MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow (Grant agreement ID: 101065243) in the Department of Media and Social Sciences at the University of Stavanger. He received his PhD in 2021 from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris. Trained as a sociologist and social anthropologist, his doctoral research explored political masculinities and right-wing conservatism in Turkey. His broader research interests include political and protest masculinities, men’s bodies, gender aesthetics and material cultures, the manosphere, creative methods in social sciences, and Turkish studies. His recent work focuses on gender radicalization, misogynist extremism, and the visual cultures of incel and looksmaxxing communities.

Politi-clavicular state: when political masculinity espouses protest masculinity through the male body and looksmaxxing

Published on 22 Sep 2026

by Ozan Félix Sousbois a Department of Media and Social Sciences, University of Stavanger (UiS), Stavanger, Norwayb CETOBAC (Centre d'études turques, ottomanes, balkaniques et centrasiatiques) / EHESS, Aubervilliers Cedex, FranceOzan Félix Sousbois is former MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow (Grant agreement ID: 101065243) in the Department of Media and Social Sciences at the University of Stavanger. He received his PhD in 2021 from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris. Trained as a sociologist and social anthropologist, his doctoral research explored political masculinities and right-wing conservatism in Turkey. His broader research interests include political and protest masculinities, men’s bodies, gender aesthetics and material cultures, the manosphere, creative methods in social sciences, and Turkish studies. His recent work focuses on gender radicalization, misogynist extremism, and the visual cultures of incel and looksmaxxing communities.

Malessere, Coatti, and Maranza: the popular construction of desirable masculinity in the Italian outskirts

Published on 12 Sep 2026

by Roberto Graziano Department of Social Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, ItalyRoberto Graziano is a PhD candidate in Social Sciences and Statistics at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy. His research focuses on social distinction and the theory of practices across autochthonous and digital contexts. Drawing primarily on Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice and engaging with contemporary European scholarship on popular culture, his work examines how social practices, cultural consumption, and digital platforms contribute to processes of symbolic production, class differentiation, and social reproduction. His sociological interests include digital sociology, consumer culture, platform studies, critical masculinity studies, youth inequalities in marginalised contexts, the sociology of music, and urban sociology, with particular attention to urban peripheries and strategies of social and urban regeneration.

Malessere, Coatti, and Maranza: the popular construction of desirable masculinity in the Italian outskirts

Published on 12 Sep 2026

by Roberto Graziano Department of Social Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, ItalyRoberto Graziano is a PhD candidate in Social Sciences and Statistics at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy. His research focuses on social distinction and the theory of practices across autochthonous and digital contexts. Drawing primarily on Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice and engaging with contemporary European scholarship on popular culture, his work examines how social practices, cultural consumption, and digital platforms contribute to processes of symbolic production, class differentiation, and social reproduction. His sociological interests include digital sociology, consumer culture, platform studies, critical masculinity studies, youth inequalities in marginalised contexts, the sociology of music, and urban sociology, with particular attention to urban peripheries and strategies of social and urban regeneration.

Seminal: On sperm, health, and politics

Published on 21 Aug 2026

by Jiahao Zhao Postdoctoral fellow at the School of Public Policy, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, ShenzhenJiahao Zhao is a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Public Policy, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Jiahao holds a PhD from Loughborough University and his work examines masculinity, family policy, gendered organisations, and the politics of health and inequality in contemporary China.

Seminal: On sperm, health, and politics

Published on 21 Aug 2026

by Jiahao Zhao Postdoctoral fellow at the School of Public Policy, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, ShenzhenJiahao Zhao is a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Public Policy, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Jiahao holds a PhD from Loughborough University and his work examines masculinity, family policy, gendered organisations, and the politics of health and inequality in contemporary China.

Masculinities in Nigerian fiction: receptivity and gender

Published on 11 Aug 2026

by Gideon Uzoma Umezurike University of Saskatchewan, CanadaGideon Uzoma Umezurike is a PhD candidate in English at the University of Saskatchewan. His research focuses on the intersections of literature, bodily difference, and global cultures, and cuts across postcolonial literature, transcultural/transnational theories, literary disability studies, critical medical humanities, and existential phenomenology. Gideon’s doctoral dissertation, titled Infertiliterature, the Sterile Body and Genre: Reproductive Disability in Twenty-First-Century Nigerian Fiction, analyses how contemporary Nigerian fiction employs a unique narrative form, which he terms the ‘infertiliterary form,’ to critique the disabling reproductive norms embedded in Nigerian reproductive Capitalocene.

Masculinities in Nigerian fiction: receptivity and gender

Published on 11 Aug 2026

by Gideon Uzoma Umezurike University of Saskatchewan, CanadaGideon Uzoma Umezurike is a PhD candidate in English at the University of Saskatchewan. His research focuses on the intersections of literature, bodily difference, and global cultures, and cuts across postcolonial literature, transcultural/transnational theories, literary disability studies, critical medical humanities, and existential phenomenology. Gideon’s doctoral dissertation, titled Infertiliterature, the Sterile Body and Genre: Reproductive Disability in Twenty-First-Century Nigerian Fiction, analyses how contemporary Nigerian fiction employs a unique narrative form, which he terms the ‘infertiliterary form,’ to critique the disabling reproductive norms embedded in Nigerian reproductive Capitalocene.

The problem of complicity and complicit masculinities (in critical studies on men and masculinities)

Published on 17 Jul 2026

by Katarzyna Wojnicka Department of Sociology and Work Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

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The problem of complicity and complicit masculinities (in critical studies on men and masculinities)

Published on 17 Jul 2026

by Katarzyna Wojnicka Department of Sociology and Work Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

Reframing masculinity for young men and boys: we’re in this together

Published on 26 Jun 2026

by Ilmari Huhtala University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandIlmari Huhtala is a doctoral researcher in the AGORA for the study of Social Justice and Equality in Education -research centre, University of Helsinki, Finland. His PhD examines how children conceptualize gender from the framework of masculinities in Finnish primary school. Methodologically, he is interested in discursive and feminist approaches.

Reframing masculinity for young men and boys: we’re in this together

Published on 26 Jun 2026

by Ilmari Huhtala University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandIlmari Huhtala is a doctoral researcher in the AGORA for the study of Social Justice and Equality in Education -research centre, University of Helsinki, Finland. His PhD examines how children conceptualize gender from the framework of masculinities in Finnish primary school. Methodologically, he is interested in discursive and feminist approaches.

Endangered masculinity: intensified crisis of masculinity discourse in Danish men’s rights activism

Published on 11 May 2026

by Andreas Beyer Gregersen Dept. of Politics and Society, Aalborg University, Aalborg, DenmarkAndreas Beyer Gregersen is currently an independent scholar. Gregersen obtained his master’s degree in applied philosophy with a specialization in political theory and cultural analysis at Aalborg University in 2018. He completed his PhD at Aarhus University with a thesis in political philosophy on the concept of civility and the tension-full relation between moral norms and political conflict. From 2022 to 2025, Gregersen has been a part of the Horizon Europe-project FIERCE, studying the dynamic between feminist and antifeminist as well as anti-gender movements across Europe. His current research interests are social movement dynamics, political mobilizations, feminist and antifeminist movements, democratic theory, and the relation between ethics and politics.

Endangered masculinity: intensified crisis of masculinity discourse in Danish men’s rights activism

Published on 11 May 2026

by Andreas Beyer Gregersen Dept. of Politics and Society, Aalborg University, Aalborg, DenmarkAndreas Beyer Gregersen is currently an independent scholar. Gregersen obtained his master’s degree in applied philosophy with a specialization in political theory and cultural analysis at Aalborg University in 2018. He completed his PhD at Aarhus University with a thesis in political philosophy on the concept of civility and the tension-full relation between moral norms and political conflict. From 2022 to 2025, Gregersen has been a part of the Horizon Europe-project FIERCE, studying the dynamic between feminist and antifeminist as well as anti-gender movements across Europe. His current research interests are social movement dynamics, political mobilizations, feminist and antifeminist movements, democratic theory, and the relation between ethics and politics.

Sexualised Masculinity: Men’s Bodies in 2 Century Media Culture

Published on 27 Apr 2026

by Sandip Paul Usha Martin University, Ranchi, IndiaDr. Sandip Paul is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Usha Martin University, Ranchi, India. He is interested in Diaspora, Masculinities, Disability, Queer, Gender, and Critical Race Studies. He has co-edited the book Cultural and Literary Traditions in India: History, Myth and Orality (2024) by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK, and contributed a chapter in Resistance and Literature in a Global Context (2025) by Springer Nature.

Sexualised Masculinity: Men’s Bodies in 2 Century Media Culture

Published on 27 Apr 2026

by Sandip Paul Usha Martin University, Ranchi, IndiaDr. Sandip Paul is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Usha Martin University, Ranchi, India. He is interested in Diaspora, Masculinities, Disability, Queer, Gender, and Critical Race Studies. He has co-edited the book Cultural and Literary Traditions in India: History, Myth and Orality (2024) by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK, and contributed a chapter in Resistance and Literature in a Global Context (2025) by Springer Nature.

Disrupting hegemonic (hetero)masculinity: evolving portrayal of gay men in contemporary bollywood

Published on 20 Apr 2026

by Nikita Mittal Department of Humanistic Studies, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi, Varanasi, IndiaNikita Mittal is a PhD graduate in English from the Department of Humanistic Studies, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi. Her research examines the altering representations of men and masculinity in contemporary popular culture, especially Bollywood, and their potential in stretching the contours of ideal masculinity in Indian society. Her research interests include Masculinity Studies, Film Studies and Sexuality Studies. She has many Scopus-indexed publications to her credit and is committed to advancing interdisciplinary scholarship through her research.

Disrupting hegemonic (hetero)masculinity: evolving portrayal of gay men in contemporary bollywood

Published on 20 Apr 2026

by Nikita Mittal Department of Humanistic Studies, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi, Varanasi, IndiaNikita Mittal is a PhD graduate in English from the Department of Humanistic Studies, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi. Her research examines the altering representations of men and masculinity in contemporary popular culture, especially Bollywood, and their potential in stretching the contours of ideal masculinity in Indian society. Her research interests include Masculinity Studies, Film Studies and Sexuality Studies. She has many Scopus-indexed publications to her credit and is committed to advancing interdisciplinary scholarship through her research.

Why men and masculinities remain a sensitive subject in violence prevention

Published on 17 Apr 2026

by Mischa Dekker Martín Hernán Di Marco Leiden University, Netherlands

Wronged: The Weaponization of Victimhood

Published on 7 Apr 2026

by Martta Ojala Faculty of Social Sciences, Nord University, Bodø, Norway

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Wronged: The Weaponization of Victimhood

Published on 7 Apr 2026

by Martta Ojala Faculty of Social Sciences, Nord University, Bodø, Norway

Editorial note

Published on 7 Apr 2026

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A code for modern manhood: a review of Scott Galloway’s Notes on Being a Man

Published on 4 Apr 2026

by Sourav Das Jaipal Sourav Das is a PhD Research Scholar in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur, India. His research interests lie in masculinity studies and queer literature, with additional focus on gender and sexuality studies, as well as feminist literature.Dr. Jaipal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur, India. His research interest includes English Language Teaching (ELT) and Indian English literature.Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India

A code for modern manhood: a review of Scott Galloway’s Notes on Being a Man

Published on 4 Apr 2026

by Sourav Das Jaipal Sourav Das is a PhD Research Scholar in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur, India. His research interests lie in masculinity studies and queer literature, with additional focus on gender and sexuality studies, as well as feminist literature.Dr. Jaipal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur, India. His research interest includes English Language Teaching (ELT) and Indian English literature.Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India