Opened by the Head of Social Sciences, Alan Porter, the sold-out Modern Masculinities Conference 2026 was held on Tuesday 1 September. It brought together academics, students, practitioners, policymakers and members of the wider community to showcase cutting-edge research and thinking on masculinities. Organised by Damien Ridge, Tina Cartwright, Alison Fixsen, Maria Flynn, Chantal Gautier, Tom Nadarzynski and James Kempley, the event demonstrated the breadth and vitality of work in the field, featuring projects at every stage of the academic journey-from MSc and PhD research to established professorial scholarship.
Funded by the Quintin Hogg Trust, the conference featured a keynote address by Professor Brendan Gough exploring how men enact vulnerability amid competing gender norms. Professor Paul Galdas brought the new Men’s Health Strategy for England to life, while Professor Andrew Groves presented his exhibition, Visible Systems: How Menswear Governs, Frames and Performs Masculinity. University of Westminster students played an active role in co-producing the conference, helping to drive its agenda rather than simply attending as members of the audience. Presenters from across the UK and internationally addressed a range of cutting-edge issues, while Chantal Gautier and Nikolaos Souvlakis led a fascinating question-and-answer session on men, sex and intimacy.
The closing panel examined several rapidly developing issues affecting men. These included Tom Nadarzynski discussing men’s growing use of artificial intelligence for emotional support, despite limited evidence about its benefits and risks; alumnus Jerome Evans and student William Phypers-Ward reflecting on current issues facing young men and the emerging spaces in which they can express vulnerability; Paul Galdas explaining how the new Men’s Health Strategy for England is changing the policy and practice landscape; Eduardo Lees exploring the long shadow cast by Section 28 over LGBTQ+ people; Chantal Gautier and Nikos Souvlakis offered an reflective-type Q &A session with a therapist orientation on masculinity; and Bryan Bonaparte examining the ways in which Black masculinity is currently being stereotyped and weaponised.
Overall, the conference created a lively, inclusive and interdisciplinary forum for exploring the complexities of contemporary masculinities and identifying important directions for future research, policy and practice.
