UCalgary researcher leads international transdisciplinary gathering at the (Un)Doing Masculinities Summit 2024

Dr. Michael Kehler, PhD, and Research Chair of Masculinities Studies in Education at UCalgary, believes that creating an intentional and inclusive space for established and emerging researchers is critical in conducting successful transdisciplinary scholarship. And that’s what he and Dr. Gabriel Knott-Fayle, PhD, accomplished with the 2024 (Un)Doing Masculinities Summit. 

Dr. Kehler has worked in the area of critical masculinity studies for 24 years, studying the intersection of gender and education for boys. His research began by studying the boys in school who are often overlooked to better understand the space that dominant masculinity takes up. His research now examines the culture of masculinity and the power dynamics that exist, seeing the ways in which boys and men can become allies for preventing gender-based violence and challenging homophobia, pushing back against norms.  

Fourteen researchers and postdoctoral scholars from Australia, U.K., Brazil, Ireland and the U.S. gathered in Calgary for a three-day summit to address the broad themes of masculinity in health, sport, education and violence. The goal of the summit was to create an opportunity for well-established scholars in the field to have high-level discussions, uninterrupted, to map out the field and see where issues seem to be emerging nationally and internationally.  

Funded by a UCalgary Transdisciplinary Connector Grant, a Social Science Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Connections Grant and Silver Gummy donor support, and in partnership with Movember Canada, this summit was pivotal in ensuring that researchers can nurture research communities. 

“We’re fortunate enough to have a SSHRC grant and donor funding, as well as transdisciplinary funding,” says Kehler.

The summit welcomed special guests including UCalgary Chancellor Jon Cornish, Edmonton-Highland-Norwood MLA Janis Irwin, Canada country director for Movember Todd Minerson, Hockey Canada’s vice-president of diversity and inclusion Irfan Chaudhry, and Nada Nuff, a drag performer from Calgary. 

“Having this broad range of speakers was a crucial part of starting our days and illustrating how gender, and specifically masculinity, lives in the daily lives of different institutions, associations and organizations, and how we think about the kind of research that’s been done in those spaces and other spaces,” says Kehler. “In some ways, it helps us as researchers to see the significance and the impact of our research.” 

Highlights of the summit

While there were many, Kehler simply pinpoints three main highlights of the gathering.  

“First and foremost, looking around the room and being so privileged and honored to have such a wealth of knowledge, understanding and international research gathered here in Calgary, in one place at one time,” he says.  

Secondly, he notes watching the international collaboration unfold and grow in front of him during the intense three days. He’s motivated and inspired by the emotional richness of the conversations and willingness of the researchers to participate because it gives him confidence in the potential to create opportunities that promote healthy research communities, especially in masculinity studies. 

Finally, Kehler says that structuring the summit differently afforded possibilities for the community-oriented approach they took. It allowed them to nurture ongoing research practices of those established and emerging scholars in the room, bridging theory and practice.  

Outcomes of the summit 

In addition to authorship groups and a final report, they took many unconventional approaches to capturing the summit, sharing that they used visual media to create tangible artifacts to visually illustrate the work they did together.  

Kehler hopes “to elevate the dialogue of masculinity studies and use knowledge mobilization to share the work they are doing and illustrate the possibilities of researchers working together and have the opportunity to extend and build communities by design, not by chance.”   

The partnerships developed during the summit will help make knowledge accessible and available to the wider community.  

Hope for the future 

Following the summit, Kehler hopes that the momentum spirals outward and creates meaningful impact in the community. 

“As ambassadors of research, of masculinity studies, I hope that we are able to go forward knowing the possibilities to design and create more opportunities,” says Kehler.  

“The wealth and richness of bringing these people together, it’s a very intentional, very purposeful way to create transdisciplinary research.” 

Read more about UCalgary Masculinities Studies and the (Un)Doing Masculinities Summit.