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New research center opened at the Center for Islamic Theology in Münster!
On April 22, 2025, the new office for interdisciplinary masculinity research at the University of Münster will be ceremoniously opened.
New research center opened at the Center for Islamic Theology in Münster!
On April 22, 2025, a new “Workplace for Critical, Interdisciplinary and Interreligious Masculinity Research” (AKIIM) will be ceremoniously opened at the Center for Islamic Theology at the University of Münster. The event will take place in the castle of the University of Münster, lecture hall S1, at 6:15 p.m. This new facility aims to develop a deeper understanding of the role of men in different social contexts. This is happening against the backdrop of increasing radicalization and religious fundamentalism.
The management of the workplace is in the hands of Prof. Dr. Mouhanad Khorchide and Dr. David Koch, both from the Center for Islamic Theology (ZIT). You will receive support from Prof. Dr. Michael Tunç from the Catholic University of Social Affairs Berlin. Loud uni-muenster.de The urgency of this research was underlined by the need to critically address images of masculinity. In particular, it highlights the dangerous ideals of masculinity in social networks that contribute to the radicalization of young men.
Research priorities
The AKIIM will develop teaching materials for Islamic religious education and prison pastoral care. A particular focus is on fathers' work to promote progressive role models and improve social dialogue about masculinity. The challenges associated with masculinity in modern social structures are complex and multi-layered.
Over the last three decades, men's research has developed into a broad and multidisciplinary research field. As the bpb.de explains, the German-speaking area is particularly characterized by sociologically oriented gender studies that view masculinity as a social construction. In the 1980s and 1990s, men's studies developed as a complementary discourse to feminism, with the focus on the investigation of male hegemonicity and its new approaches to definition.
Social significance
The relevance of masculinity research is particularly evident in two central arguments about the crisis of being a man: the link between men's strength and women's weaknesses and the embedding of male identities in the logic of the economy. These topics are particularly hotly debated today, as men often suffer from identity strain and the challenges of modern working environments.
Furthermore, research highlights that men are not only perpetrators of violence, but also victims. These findings are supported in the AKIIM through the development of courses and workshops to promote healthy masculinity through progressive role models. The chemistry between the sexes that is evident in reality is increasingly perceived as a complex web of social dynamics in which masculinity is constantly negotiated.
The founding of the AKIIM is an important step in the critical examination of masculinity and its influence on society, especially with regard to radicalization phenomena in Islam and beyond. As men's studies continue to respond to the challenges of traditional gender roles, it is essential to also focus on the progressive part of male identities.