BOYS, MASCULINITY AND EDUCATION
A Boyhood Studies special issue
Editors:
Jürgen Budde & Thomas Viola Rieske
During the 1990s and 2000s, many countries witnessed a new discourse on boys and education both within research and the wider popular discourse. First, boys’ encountering, incorporating and/or resisting cultural ideas of masculinity were being looked at with a strong focus on gender hierarchies and gender norms. Second, boys’ situation in educational institutions– were discussed controversially with regard to disadvantages and/or privileges of boys in education. Third, the situations of particular groups of boys were explored, acknowledging the diversity of boys and the intersectionality of masculinity and gender with other social categories and hierarchies. Since then, the discourse on boys, masculinity and education has become more diverse and nuanced, yet central issues remain either under debate or overlooked. Therefore, we invite authors to revisit issues on boys, masculinity and education – amongst them:
- Cultural diagnosis: How can the current situation of boys in educational practices and institutions be described properly? How do masculinities inform educational discourse and practice? And how does education inform masculinities? Does hegemonic masculinity (still) dominate in education or is there a shift towards inclusive masculinity?
- Research design: How can the relation of boys, masculinity and education be researched empirically? Which methods and which methodologies are in use and in what ways do they create and transform knowledge on boyhoods?
- Broader contexts: How is the relation between boys, masculinity and education shaped by economic, political, cultural and ecological change? In what ways, for example, do authoritarian regimes (and diversity alliances), the ongoing destructive exploitation of our planet (and the rise of sustainable development), the ongoing dominance of the Global North (and discourses in the global south) shape the education of boys and men?
- Analytical tools: Which theoretical concepts are fruitful in exploring the relation between boys, masculinity and education? Are there concepts that should be given a more prominent place, and are there prevailing concepts that should be given less prominence? How can institutional or cultural contexts be reflected analytically?
- We are interested in contributions regarding schools as well as other educational institutions such as elementary education, youth work, vocational education or education in informal settings (peer groups, media, leisure activities, …). Also, we very much welcome contributions looking at non-English speaking contexts or that take a global or international comparative perspective.