Edda
On December 10, 2025, at 12-13.30 in Edda's lecture hall there will be a symposium with Dr. Stephen Burrell, Lecturer in Gender Studies and Criminology at the University of Melbourne in Australia, on how to engage men in ending gender-based violence.
Burrell has conducted research on gender-based violence for years and has published articles, books and reports on the subject. In the summer of 2025, the report "New paths to prevention: Engaging more boys and men in ending violence against women" was published, which Burrell worked on in collaboration with an international group of scholars. He emphasizes being in active dialogue with society and, among other things, hosts the podcast "Now and men".
His reasoning speaks directly to the situation in Iceland today in the increased polarization that now characterizes the gender debate. He claims that gender equality is not a "zero-sum game" where one person's gain is another's loss, but that the fight is for the benefit of all, not least men themselves.
Burrell's talk will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Hjálmar Sigmarsson councelor for Stígamót, Linda Dröfn Gunnarsdóttir Director of Kvennaathvarf (the Association for Women's Shelters) and Indíana Rós Ægisdóttir, project manager for Jafnréttisskólinn Reykjavíkurborg (the Reykjavík Gender Equality Academy). The event is a collaboration between the gender studies program in the School of Social Sciences and the Research Group on Violence Studies in the School of Education. The event is a part of Kvennaár and UN Women 16 day activism to end gender-based violence.
Moderator: Þorgerður J. Einarsdóttir, Professor of gender studies.
Dr Stephen Burrell is a Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Melbourne, Australia. His research focuses on men, masculinities and violence. His PhD addressed work with men and boys to prevent violence against women, and more recently, he has been investigating the relationship between masculinity and the climate crisis. He is also an Honorary Fellow in the Department of Sociology at Durham University, UK, is actively involved in the MenEngage Global Alliance, and co-hosts a podcast called Now and Men: Current conversations on men’s lives.
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Buses 14, 1, 6, 3 and 12 stop at the University of Iceland in Vatnsmýri. Buses 11 and 15 also stop nearby. Let's travel in an ecological way!