On September 29, Liza Mügge (University of Amsterdam) will be the guest speaker in a joint seminar organized by the Research Groups LIFE, RIGoP and SPARC. The theme will be (Anti)democratic Masculinities Theory in action: transdisciplinary reflections and co-creation. The event begins at 11 a.m., in Room 1 at ICS-ULisboa and online.

Masculinity is increasingly central to political discourse, with conservative actors portraying it as threatened by gender, racial, and sexual equality. The Masculinities for the Future of European Democracy (MEN4DEM) project examines how anti-democratic masculinities are shaped and expressed in politics, and how they influence democracy across the EU. This lecture introduces MEN4DEM’s initial theoretical framework, co-created by academics, artists, and activists through literature reviews, workshops, and participatory methods. The framework focuses on defining democratic versus anti-democratic masculinities, understanding pathways of transformation, and promoting plural, non-reductive models. It explores how masculinity can align with democratic values to foster more inclusive participation and leadership.

Liza Mügge is Associate Professor in political science at the University of Amsterdam, where she leads the Politics of Diversity research group. She coordinates the projects ‘Masculinities for Future of European Democracy’ (MEN4DEM) and ‘Political Masculinities in Europe’, funded by the European Union and the Dutch Research Council (NWO), respectively.

Project Websites:

politicsofdiversity.eu
men4dem.eu

Further readings: Masculinities for the Future of European democracy: Theory in Action