For much of its history, men and masculinities studies have been shaped by concepts, theories, and debates developed primarily in the Global North. Although these contributions have been fundamental to the development of the field, they cannot fully account for the diversity of historical trajectories, social formations, and cultural experiences that characterise masculinities across the Global South. As Raewyn Connell reminds us in the Foreword to this volume, "the global South is not marginal. It is where the large majority of the world's people live" (Connell 2026, xvii). This simple yet powerful observation invites readers to reconsider long-established assumptions about the sources of authoritative knowledge and the experiences that have shaped the international study of masculinities.
Responding directly to this challenge, Men and Masculinities in the Global South: A Southern Perspective edited by José Loureiro brings together scholars from diverse disciplinary and geographical backgrounds to demonstrate that the Global South is not merely a source of empirical data but also a site of conceptual innovation and theoretical production. The volume contributes to what may be described as an emerging "invisible college" (Joseph M. Moxley (1992, 105) of scholars working across continents who, often independently yet in dialogue with one another, are collectively transforming men and masculinities studies through Southern perspectives, epistemologies, and research traditions. Rather than proposing a single Southern theory of masculinities, the chapters illustrate the plurality of voices, methodologies, and intellectual traditions that are reshaping the field from within.
The volume brings together twelve original chapters and is organised into two complementary parts, moving from broad theoretical reflection to richly contextualised empirical analyses. Part I examines the historical development and contemporary directions of men and masculinities studies in the Global South, addressing themes including the evolution of the field, men's health, violence, activism, music, and other pressing social issues. Part II presents regionally grounded studies from Chile, India, Madagascar, Uzbekistan, Zambia, and Australia, demonstrating how masculinities are negotiated within specific cultural, political, historical, and social contexts. Collectively, these chapters show that Southern experiences not only diversify existing knowledge but also generate new conceptual frameworks capable of informing global debates.
Written for researchers, students, practitioners, and all those interested in gender and social change, Men and Masculinities in the Global South: A Southern Perspective offers far more than a regional survey. It represents a significant contribution to internationalisation of men and masculinities studies by placing in the foreground scholarship that has too often remained peripheral within mainstream academic debates. In doing so, the volume demonstrates that the future development of the field depends not upon extending Northern paradigms, but upon recognising the Global South as one of the principal centres of contemporary knowledge production.
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