Six partner universities, a theatre group and gender equality organisations are involved in the MEN4DEM project - Masculinities for the Future of European Democracy. The project started this year. One of the partners is the University of Gdańsk.
The project brings together researchers, gender equality organisations and performing artists. Its aim is to examine the impact of ideas and practices of masculinity on the shape of democracy in Europe. The project organisers hope that by co-creating reliable knowledge and searching for more inclusive visions of masculinity, MEN4DEM will contribute to counteracting anti-democratic tendencies and strengthening the resilience of democracy.
The Polish participants in the project are researchers from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Gdańsk: dr hab. Tomasz Besta, prof. UG, dr Magdalena Iwanowska, dr Magdalena Nowacka and Aleksandra Cupta. The project is co-financed by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme.
'The Gdańsk team is responsible for preparing effective educational and artistic interventions aimed at counteracting the negative impact of anti-democratic movements and promoting greater acceptance of diverse definitions of masculinity,' explains dr Magdalena Iwanowska. 'As part of these activities, we plan to create short educational films that will help viewers recognise the manipulation present in the campaigns and messages of radical parties and groups. In addition, in cooperation with the Via Berlin theatre and NGOs, we will prepare video installations in public spaces and LARP (live-action role playing) games that will encourage reflection on the different faces of masculinity.'
We talked to the Principal Investigator of MEN4DEM, prof. Tomasz Besta:
We encourage you to follow the news on the website of the project.
