DEADLINE: January 31 2013
EDITORS: Dr. Wesley Crichlow, Dr. Halimah DeShong, Dr. Linden Lewis

Invite submissions for a Special Issue on
Vulnerability, Persistence and Destabilization of Dominant Masculinities

Women, children, sexual ‘minorities’, nations and a host of other constructed identities experience hegemonic masculinity as oppressive, but increasingly hegemonic masculinity is itself considered in some circles as an unstable category. The vulnerability of hegemonic masculinity is embedded in its dependence on the affirmation of others in the master-slave dialectic, men’s self-imposed alienation from femininity, fears about feminist assertion, the feminine, and the penis as the ultimate representation of phallic power, domination and a weapon of social control. These suggest the limits of the hegemonic masculinity as an ideal for all men. We are interested in exploring the terrain of reproduction and resilience of masculinity in the region and in the Diaspora. The following and other related questions about Caribbean men’s engagement with and relationship to masculinities are encouraged:
• What is the current state of research and theorization on Caribbean masculinities?
• Given the competing masculinities of the racial, hybrid and ethnic identities in the Caribbean as Creole culture, what are the dominant hegemonic and competing masculinities today, especially in the Caribbean?
• As a way of recuperating fragility, what might a more fully developed, complex understanding of the psychological and social aspects of Caribbean masculinity look like?
• What are the dominant postcolonial and nationalistic constructions of masculinities that have emerged in Caribbean societies and how have these been shaped or reinvented as a result of the diversity of the colonial hierarchies and ideologies of the past?
• How have the legacies of slavery, indentureship, colonialism, nationalism, and racial and religious diversity informed the construction of Caribbean masculinities?
• How have Caribbean men’s sense of themselves, and their interpretation of the scope of masculinity been transformed by their relocation and assimilation in North America and Europe?
• To explore and interrogate the terrain of reproduction and resilience of masculinity in the region and in the Diaspora
• From an auto-biographical and/or auto-ethnographic standpoint, how can men put an end to their trauma and sufferings of and from sexual violence as survivors?
• How do we envision the future of masculinity studies in the Caribbean and the Diaspora?
• How are Caribbean men resisting or embracing changes to gender relations in the region?
• What are some of the implications of men seeking sole custody of their children in contemporary Caribbean cases of divorce proceedings?
• How has unemployment affected the performance of masculinity in the Caribbean?

Contrary to hegemonic norms requiring men to be stoic, strong, and invulnerable, the majority of men struggle to reconcile cultural expectations for masculinity with their own experiences of fragility. The aim of this volume is to open a space where Caribbean men can begin the work of elaborating on and recuperating the possibilities of fragility. We seek to facilitate a conversation about the ways that cultural expectations about hegemonic masculinity influence men at the personal and interpersonal levels. The traditional belief is
that men are less interested than women in self-disclosure. Indeed, boys and men are discouraged from cultivating intimacy.

The discourse of “sexual assault and rape” has also entered the Caribbean to create spaces for men to explore their experiences as both survivors and abusers, through scholarly research and auto-biography/auto ethnography the editors also seeks work that promotes the healing of survivors and the reduction of abuse. Overall, then, this Call seeks to investigate the transformation of fragile and dominant masculinities through the lens of Caribbean experience.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS
We invite papers that explore theoretical, research, methodological, practical and experiential questions. We encourage submission of alternative forms of presentation such as performance, poetry, visual media, social media, news media, and so on. Additionally, we are seeking first-person essays, both reflective and critical, from male writers. While we are particularly interested in Caribbean masculinities, we welcome the opportunity to compare experiences across locations. Finally, a section will be devoted to review essays and memoriam by intellectual activists Professor Rex Nettleford, Professor Barry Chevannes, Professor Rafael Ramirez and Professor Robert Carr.

AUTHOR GUIDELINES
This information can be accessed on the CRGS’ website at www.sta.uwi.edu/crgs by clicking on the Essays section of the cover page.

SUBMISSION OF BIOS
A brief biographical note of not more than 80 words about each author of manuscripts or artists of artwork accepted for publication should be supplied on a separate page. This should include information about location (institutional, geographical, etc.), and publications or exhibitions.

CONSENT TO PUBLISH

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to reprint any material not covered by fair use (text, illustrations, images, etc.). Submission of work to this journal will be taken to imply that it presents work not under consideration for publication elsewhere. On acceptance of work, the authors agree that the rights to reproduce and distribute the article have been given to the Caribbean Review of Gender Studies. Permission to quote extensively from or reproduce copyright material must be obtained by the authors before submission and any acknowledgements should be included in the typescript, preferably in the form of an Acknowledgements section at the beginning of the paper.

All correspondence or questions regarding submissions for the Caribbean Review of Gender Studies should be addressed to:
Ms. Donna Drayton at cardon@flowtrinidad.net
Institute for Gender and Development Studies
The University of the West Indies
St. Augustine Campus

Institute for Gender and Development Studies, St. Augustine Unit
Tel: 662 2002 Ext 83573/83577 | Email: igds@sta.uwi.edu
Website: http://sta.uwi.edu/igds/ | facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IGDSStAugustineUnit/
CRGS Online Journal: http://sta.uwi.edu/crgs/