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The American Men's Studies Association (AMSA) advances the critical study of men and masculinities by encouraging the development of teaching, research and clinical practice in the field of men's studies. AMSA is an independent organization that provides a forum for teachers, researchers, students and practitioners to exchange information and to gain support for work on men and masculinities.

Purpose
The purpose of the American Men's Studies Association is to promote scholarship and teaching in the field of men's studies. The American Men's studies Association is committed to serve as a multidisciplinary forum of men and women irrespective of class background, ethnic origin, religious background, sexual orientation, or physical abilities, whose purpose is to promote critical discussion of issues involving men and masculinities, and to disseminate knowledge about men's lives to a broad audience.

The major objectives of the AMSA are to encourage the refinement of the parameters of men's studies, to generate theory, and to develop methodologies of the study of masculinities from an ethical perspective that eschews oppression in all forms (namely, sexism, racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, classism, etc.).


 * AMSA is multidisciplinary in nature and committed to disseminating new knowledge about men and masculinities to a broad audience.
 * AMSA seeks the participation and membership of all men and women irrespective of race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical abilities, nationality, or religious identity.
 * AMSA is committed to excellence, inclusiveness, and ethical behavior in men's studies research, publication, teaching, and practice.
 * AMSA strongly encourages student participation and membership, offering scholarship and mentoring opportunities for young scholars in the field.
 * AMSA values and encourages mutually empowering scholarly and professional relationships that are generative, empowering, and affirming in nature.

Origins
AMSA’s origins started in the National Organization for Changing Men (NOCM), an organization which has existed since the early 1970’s. From its beginning the National Organization for Changing Men (now National Organization for Men Against Sexism) encouraged its membership to form affinity groups composed of people with similar personal and/or professional interests. NOCM organized Men and Masculinity (M&M) conferences, which over the years have become annual events attended by mostly men supportive of an anti-sexist political and personal agenda. At these conferences NOCM members affiliated with the various task groups could meet and share their work and common interests.

Some early men's studies pioneers (e.g., Martin Acker, Shepherd Bliss, Harry Brod, Sam Femiano, Martin Fiebert, and Mike Messner) formed the Men's Studies Task Group (MSTG). The Men's Studies Task Group proved to be one of NOCM's most active task groups, instituting its own newsletter, the Men's Studies Newsletter, in early 1984. During the next several years, MSTG continued to grow, with its membership approaching a quarter of NOM’s total constituency. As NOM renamed itself the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS), MSTG became the Men's Studies Association (MSA).

In 1991, MSA's leaders became convinced that the Men's Studies Association needed to hold a separate conference during the academic year, not only to accommodate a growing number of its long- standing NOCM/NOMAS-MSA members, but also to attract those men's studies scholars who were not particularly in other M&M activities. That fall, the American Men’s Studies Association (AMSA) formally separated from its parent organization, NOMAS. In May of 1992, the group’s leaders drafted a mission statement outlining a number of crucial issues fundamental to its academic and professional heritage, and made plans for its first AMSA conference.

AMSA's leadership rejected the tenet that men's studies must be guided exclusively by feminist principles. The leadership argued that given the pluralistic nature of men's studies, AMSA would be committed to provide a forum of open and inclusive dialogue which involves a spirit of mutual respect for our common humanity"

During its seventeen year history, AMSA has hosted a richly diverse annual conference, provided a "spirited" Internet list server, and, more importantly, has grown into a vital and dynamic men's studies organization that respects and gives forum to the many voices that are charting the emergent field of men's studies.

Past Presidents

 * 2007      Robert Heasley, PhD
 * 2006	Mark Justad, PhD
 * 2005	Mark Justad, PhD
 * 2004	Mark Justad, PhD

Conferences
Each year since 1993, AMSA has held an annual conference. The conference features two keynote addresses, pre-conference men’s studies workshops, and presentations by over 50 scholars, practitioners and activists. AMSA’s conference is the largest annual men's studies conference in the United States, drawing an international group of participants representing a broad range of academic disciplines and interests. The conference is an open and affirming event featuring scholarship and respectful dialogue on the critical study of men and masculinities.


 * 1993  Stony Point, NY
 * 1994  DeKalb, IL
 * 1995  DeKalb, IL
 * 1996  Washington, DC
 * 1997  Nashville, TN
 * 1998  Youngstown, OH
 * 1999  Nashville, TN
 * 2000  Buffalo, NY
 * 2001  Albuquerque, NM
 * 2002  Nashville, TN
 * 2003  Nashville, TN
 * 2004  Aurora, IL
 * 2005  Nashville, TN
 * 2006  Ypsilanti, MI  • “No Man Is An Island: Masculinities In Relation” • Invited Keynote Speaker: Ronald Levant
 * 2007  Kansas City, MO • “Engaging Boys and Men: How Are We Doing?” • Invited Keynote Speaker: Mark Kiselica
 * 2008  Winston-Salem, NC • “Masculinities and Institutions: Mapping The Connections” • Invited Keynote Speaker: Raewyn Connell
 * 2009  Montreal • “Beyond Borders: Masculinities And Margins”

Publications And Special Projects
The official journal of AMSA is the |Journal of Men's Studies, published by Men's Studies Press. JMS is a peer-reviewed journal devoted to providing an interdisciplinary forum for the critical discussion of issues involving men and masculinities and for disseminating new knowledge about men’s lives to a broad audience that includes scholars, practitioners, researchers, policy makers, and students. The Journal of Men’s Studies publishes research—both theoretical and empirical—in the emergent men’s studies field, recognizing the varied influences of class, culture, race, and sexual orientation on defining men’s experiences. The journal’s cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural character disseminates material by men’s studies scholars from various perspectives (political, social, cultural, and historical) as well as various disciplines (anthropology, sociology, history, psychology, literature, theology).

As part of its mission, the American Men’s Studies Association has collected men’s studies course syllabi as a resource for people who are developing a course or looking at what is taught in the field. The growing collection, the |Men's Studies Syllabus Project, is located on the AMSA webpage.

In 2005, the Board of Directors established the |Loren Frankel Student Scholarship Fund in 2005. Dr. Frankel was an inspiring teacher, an accomplished scholar, and a respected colleague. AMSA honored his memory with the establishment of this fund to support students engaged in the critical study of men and masculinities. This fund provides up to $500 each year to a qualified student or students attending and presenting at the annual AMSA Men’s Studies Conference. Graduate and undergraduate students who are attending and presenting at the annual AMSA conference are eligible for the award.