Borja, C., M., & Rodrigo, R. (2021). The Thematic Trends in Men’s Research via a Content Analysis of Papers Presented at the American Men’s Studies Association Annual Conference Programs from 2010 to 2020. 14th National and International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences, Prince of Songkla University Phuket Campus, Thailand. Conference proceeding.
In this study, the researchers aim to (1) discover and explore the latest trends and directions of 1,082 masculinity-centered papers and topics presented at the annual conference programs of the American Men’s Studies Association between 2010 and 2020. We also (2) compare the trends in masculinity research over the past decades, and how it has changed over the years, and (3) what new directions and spaces future masculinities researchers may want to study further. While the body of research dedicated to men and masculinities has risen in the past few decades, the field is still relatively new, and there are still several areas that are yet to be explored. Past research has already initiated an exploratory content analysis study of all the presentations selected by the American Men’s Studies Association (AMSA) in their annual conference program from 1993 to 2011. They then drew initial conclusions from those trends and themes.
This study continues that 1993 Coen and Suen study to see if there have been any notable progress and trends since then. After analyzing the titles of over 1,000 presented papers, we have found that most men’s studies scholars who present at AMSA conferences have constantly remained interested in gender relations, relationships, fatherhood, sex, and sexuality. We also see a marked increase in research on new and emergent themes, especially in the areas concerning men’s education, gender-based violence, non-heteronormative identities, as wells as global/indigenous and non-American topics.
