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Conference to consider masculinity as ‘performance’

November 25, 2005

Kiernander.thumb.jpgA one-day conference at The University of New England titled “Practising Masculinities” will consider to what extent “masculine” behaviour is a “performance” that boys and men have to learn and practise.

Professor David Buchbinder, who holds a personal Chair in Masculinities Studies at Curtin University in Western Australia, will be the keynote speaker at the conference, which will be hosted by UNE’s Centre for Australian Language, Literature, Theatre and Screen Studies (CALLTS). The conference will be on Saturday 3 December from 9.30 am to 5 pm.

“The question of masculinity is a hot topic in Australian society,” said the organiser of the conference, Adrian Kiernander (pictured here), Professor of Theatre Studies at UNE. “Social ideas of what masculinity means, and what it does, are in rapid flux, with some people talking about a crisis in masculinity while others advocate actively promoting changes to how men - and young men in particular - behave.

“The title of the conference suggests two approaches to masculinity studies. The first is that masculinity is not an inherent quality that men have, but that it is something that people perform more or less consciously, rather like practising law or medicine. The second approach takes account of the idea that masculinity as a performance does not come naturally, and that it is something that people have to explore, rehearse and repeat.”

Presenters at the conference will examine a range of approaches to masculinity, looking at the emergence in film and television of a new kind of inadequately masculine hero, issues to do with masculinity and violence in rural Australia, the changing representations of adolescent men in Australian theatre since the 1950s, and questions involving myths of masculinity and the role of the leader in management. The keynote speaker, Professor Buchbinder, is one of Australia’s most respected scholars (and the author of two important books) in the field of masculine studies. “CALLTS is honoured to be hosting Professor Buchbinder’s first visit to UNE,” Professor Kiernander said.

“Practising Masculinities” will follow on from a major conference titled “Moving Masculinities”, to be held in Canberra, which will involve scholars from around Australia and overseas, and several of the speakers will be coming on from Canberra to Armidale.

The conference will be held in the Drama Studio in the Milton Building at UNE. Lunch will be provided for all registered participants. The conference will be accessible to the wider public, and should be relevant to any people interested in the question of masculinity, including teachers and parents. For catering purposes, anyone attending is requested to register in advance.

For further information, please contact Professor Adrian Kiernander on 6773 3755 (akiernan@une.edu.au), Dr Anne Pender on 6773 3248 (anne.pender@une.edu.au), or Nicola Speden on 6773 2660 (nspeden2@une.edu.au).


Media contact: Professor Adrian Kiernander on (02) 6773 3755 or 0418 499 839, or Dr Anne Pender on (02) 6773 3248.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at November 25, 2005 01:37 PM