Transcript Slide 1
Masculinities and HIV at IDS Reflections from Dakar on mobilising Men and Boys Jerker Edstrom, Aug 2008 Masculinities - beyond the personal First stage was an International symposium with 41 participants from 5 regions, in Dakar, Senegal, Oct 2007 The symposium considered – current constraints in HIV, gender and sexual health and rights work with men – challenges and limitations in current gender theory for improving such work and – potentials for engaging a broader range of men more politically in sexual health, rights and struggles for gender equity Why ‘politicising beyond the personal’? Much of the most innovative work on men and masculinities has worked at the level of the personal – e.g. men’s behaviour Realisation that HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health and rights needs to go beyond individual behaviour change. The HIV epidemic has forced greater acknowledgement of the fluidity and diversity of men’s sexual and social identities. Why ‘politicising beyond the personal’? Within gender and development, the ‘men as the problem; women as victims’ discourse continues to hold sway – and to keep too many men away The current discourse rests on essentialisms rarely brought into question Work on men in development has failed to engage with core equity issues or to change the institutions that sustain inequitable gender orders An issue like male violence is both a structural issue and personal one Participants Academics (e.g. R Connell, A Cornwall, M Silberschmidt, R Morrell) Programme implementers (from INGOs local NGOs and networks and alliances like “Men Engage” or “HIV/AIDS Alliance”) Policy makers (UNFPA, UNAIDS, Swedish SIDA and NORAD) Questions and reflections in Dakar Anxieties around the need to conform and perform around sex, pose risks to condom use & inhibit men from experiencing pleasure To recognise these men is not to deny the harm that they can do to others, or indeed themselves How can we break away from binary understandings of gender without losing sight of structural inequities? We need to engage with poor men’s realities and vulnerabilities, without positing them as the new victims “Heteronormativity” – a more versatile and more nuanced principle (than “gender”), closer to the heart of the issues of power? How can it be made more accessible/useful? Some suggested strategies for action Re-orient and politicise existing work with men on gender from workshops and trainings to organising men for social change. This would entail: – consciousness-raising on structural issues – mobilising men to campaign for changes in government policy, the legal justice system, corporate practice etc – training, including on partnership building and on how social movements function – capacity-building for men as activists Follow up activities Symposium Report IDS ‘In Focus’ Policy Briefing: Men, Sex and HIV: Directions for Politicising Masculinities Briefing Paper on Men, HIV, sexual health and rights – (in co-operation with Realising Rights, by Oct) Book “Politicising Masculinities: Beyond the Personal” – Planned by End of year 08 Programme (2009 – 2010/11) on Dissident Masculinities – currently fundraising Collaborative activities w/ allies at events; – Mexico, AWID, CSW and Global Men Engage Symposium Thankyou!