Indigenous Men and Masculinities – Contemporary Predicaments, Alternate Conceptions
This webinar will approach the subject of vulnerability of Indigenous women and youth through a look at the role of men and masculinity in indigenous communities. It will address the staggering statistics on violence, murder, and incarceration that indigenous men are subject to, and this in light of the disruption of traditional roles and responsibilities of Indigenous men in their families and communities. In particular it will address the shift in conception on gender in indigenous societies. It will speak to the need for men to take responsibility for their own understanding of masculinity and how it impacts those around them. Further, it will re-evoke the notion of masculinity in non-patriarchal societies, in traditions of gender equity/complementarity.
Speaker
Dr. Robert Innes
Dr. Robert Innes (Plains Cree) is a member of Cowessess First Nation and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Native Studies at University of Saskatchewan. His work centers on the role that traditional cultural values play in lived experiences within aboriginal communities and beyond. In particular, how traditional customary law guiding kinship relations historically continues to shape contemporary kinship practices. He is also involved in research on issues of aboriginal men and masculinity, exploring factors that have led many into cycle of violence and dysfunction, while looking at strategies to counter this situation. He is a co-editor, along with Kim Anderson, of the collection of essays: Indigenous Men and Masculinities: Legacies, Identities, Regeneration.