Vernon Press invites submissions for the edited volume "Men and Masculinities Studies in the Portuguese-Speaking World: A Lusophone Perspective."
Spoken by approximately 260 million people worldwide, Portuguese ranks among the ten most spoken languages globally, the third most spoken in the Western Hemisphere, and the seventh overall. Although the language originated in Europe, the overwhelming majority of its speakers today reside in the Global South - a demographic and geopolitical reality shaped by the historical trajectories of Portuguese colonial expansion. Portuguese is the official or co-official language in nine countries: Portugal (in the Global North), and eight others - Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Brazil, East Timor, and Equatorial Guinea - located in the Global South and all former Portuguese colonies. These Lusophone countries, shaped by the legacies of Portuguese colonialism, are linked not only by a shared language but also by interwoven histories of colonisation, diaspora, decolonial resistance, independence movements, militarisation, transnational migration, and cultural negotiation. Together, they form a complex postcolonial and intersectional field that continues to inform contemporary research on identity, nationhood, language, and gender - particularly within Global South and Lusophone studies.
As Seye Abimbola (2023) reminds us, “knowledge from the global South is in the global South.” This Call embraces that principle by seeking to strengthen research networks, theoretical frameworks, and collaborative knowledge production rooted within Lusophone Global South contexts. It aims to bring masculinities studies to the fore in Portuguese-speaking postcolonial societies -spaces where gendered identities continue to be shaped by colonial legacies, cultural negotiation, and contemporary global forces. By prioritising connections among researchers, activists, and artists working in Portuguese, this Call seeks to foster critical engagement with the plural, fluid, and often contested expressions of masculinities across the Lusophone world.
Submissions must present original, unpublished work that has not been submitted elsewhere. This edited volume aspires to serve as a dynamic platform for mutual recognition, dialogue, and collaborative knowledge exchange—one that amplifies Lusophone voices, challenges dominant gender narratives, and contributes to the expansion of masculinities studies from the epistemic and geographic Global South. We are especially keen to receive proposals from scholars, practitioners, and artist-researchers working in or engaging directly with Portuguese-speaking contexts in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. By examining how masculinities are entangled with colonial histories and reshaped through contemporary cultural, social, and political forces, contributors are invited to rethink normative gender assumptions and co-create more inclusive, intersectional, and situated understandings of masculinities, power, and identity in the Lusophone world.
Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- 1. Theoretical and methodological approaches to studying masculinities
- 2. Antifeminist, patriarchal, or “macho” masculinities
- 3. Black, white, gay, bisexual, and trans masculinities
- 4. Migrant, immigrant, and diasporic masculinities
- 5. Homosociality and male camaraderie
- 6. Male sex work and the figure of the michê, including travesti and other gender-nonconforming experiences
- 7. Male physical contact and bodily practices
- 8. Masculinities and violence, including domestic and intimate partner violence
- 9. Clerical and religious masculinities
- 10. Hegemonic masculinities in organisational contexts (e.g., workplaces, institutions, leadership structures)
- 11. Masculinities in caring professions, prisons, schools, and business organisations
- 12. Masculinities in gay saunas, and experiences related to HIV/AIDS
- 13. Masculinities in sport and athletic culture
- 14. Latino masculinities and their representations
- 15. Masculinities and health: literacy, illiteracy, and access to care
- 16. Masculinities, cooking, food practices, and domestic labour
- 17. Representations of masculinities in photography, art, advertising, and social media
- 18. Masculinities and femicide
Chapter Proposal Submission
Please submit an abstract no longer than 350 words in English/Portuguese or Spanish to Dr. José Loureiro (Volume Editor) joseloureiro211@gmail.com. The proposal should also include a brief biographical note (350 words). Complete chapter lengths should be between 6000-8000 words.
Important dates
Proposal Submission Deadline: July 31, 2025
Notification of Acceptance: August 30, 2025
Manuscript submission deadline: February 28, 2026