Central-European Masculinities in a Comparative Perspective: International Symposium

A review by Shana De Sousa (Sorbonne Nouvelle University), intern at CEFRES

The international symposium Central-European Masculinities in a Comparative Perspective, held on June 19–20, 2024, at CEFRES in Prague, was a pivotal event in the field of Critical Studies on Men and Masculinities. Organised under the Central-European Masculinities research project, this symposium brought together leading academic institutions across Central Europe: the Institute of Literary Studies at the University of Silesia in Katowice, the Department of Czech and Comparative Literature at Charles University, the Institute of Czech Literature at the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Polish Culture at the University of Warsaw, the Institute of Slovak Literature at the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the Center for Social Sciences – Sociology Institute, and the French Research Center in Humanities and Social Sciences (CEFRES, CNRS-MEAE). The event was supported by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research through the PARCECO program. The symposium explored the construction and deconstruction of masculinities within historical and contemporary contexts in Central Europe. Interdisciplinary discussions emphasized the dynamic and contextual nature of masculinity, integrating local perspectives into the global academic discourse. Sessions covered a wide range of themes, from literary modernity to queer masculinities under state socialism, fostering a comprehensive dialogue among scholars. This review provides insights into the diverse presentations and their contributions to the understanding of masculinities in Central Europe. Continuer la lecture de Central-European Masculinities in a Comparative Perspective: International Symposium