Expert explains men migrate along with their cultural models
Walberto Tejeda, representative of the Masculinities Program of the Bartolomé de las Casas Center, addressed the currents and dissents in the hegemonic model of masculinity during the XIII Conference of Gender Studies
SANTO DOMINGO – “Men migrate along with their ways of feeling, imagining, and exercising power,” stated the philosopher and educator. Walberto Tejeda, representative of Masculinities Program of the Bartolomé de las Casas Center, during his keynote address “Masculinities also migrate: currents and dissidences in the hegemonic model of masculinity”, delivered at the XIII Dominican Conference on Gender Studies Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC).
The event brought together academics, specialists and institutional representatives from the public and private sectors, with the aim of analyzing the impacts of climate change, human mobility and structural inequalities from a critical perspective situated in the Global South.
Tejeda, an expert in masculinities, gender, and social transformation, argued that migration not only displaces bodies and families, but also cultural models and symbolic structures, especially those related to hegemonic Latin American masculinity. “When a man migrates, he doesn’t travel alone: he carries with him his fears, his gender mandates, his learned behaviors, and also his ways of exercising or resisting patriarchal power,” he explained.
During his presentation, Tejeda drew on contributions from feminist theory and masculinity studies to explain how men reproduce, negotiate, or reconfigure their identity in contexts of diaspora, racism, or job insecurity.
He indicated that in Latin America and the Caribbean, a hegemonic model of masculinity persists, associated with the "provider," the "authority father," and emotional control. However, upon migrating, many men face situations where these mandates become difficult to fulfill, generating tensions, rifts, or reaffirmations of the same model.
“In exile, some seek to regain power by reaffirming macho traits; others, on the other hand, begin to question themselves, to make room for care, for vulnerability or for less hierarchical relationships,” she added.
The conference also underscored the importance of incorporating postcolonial, transnational, and intersectional perspectives to understand the experiences of male migrants. Tejeda emphasized that race, class, nationality, and gender intersect and condition the possibilities of exercising or resisting male power in the destination country.
“To say that the model also travels is not to say that everything is repeated. Migrant masculinities are not born from scratch, but neither do they remain intact. Migration opens fissures and possibilities to reinvent what it means to 'be a man',” he stated.
The XIII Dominican Conference on Gender Studies
The XIII Dominican Conference on Gender Studies, entitled “The Global South: perspectives, contributions and knowledge building on forced displacement due to climate change”, was organized by the Center for Gender Studies (CEG-INTEC).
The day also included presentations on ethics, climate vulnerability, domestic work, gender justice and the memory of displacement. “Don Psyche and the image of Doctor Niac.” It was presented by the professor Francisco Taveras, Dominican academic with training in philosophy, pedagogy, theology and communication.
The paper “Women at the Crossroads: Economic Survival Strategy in the Invisible World of Domestic Work”, was presented by Juleidy AlmonteAnthropologist and social researcher. Then, the talk “The West African route” It was in charge of the professor Juan Manuel Chávez, Vice-Rector for Extension and University Life at the University of the Mid-Atlantic, Spain.
The economist Jomayris Rosario Medina he presented “Climate vulnerability in Dominican rural communities: impacts differentiated by gender and migration”An exhibition based on her research on community resilience and sustainable development. Later, Paula Rodríguez Arredondo, a feminist social scientist, gave the presentation “Gender Justice: When care and the sustainability of life deepen vulnerabilities”.
Tejeda's keynote address helped to open up new questions about migration as an emotional, cultural and political experience, highlighting that social transformations also require understanding masculinities in motion.
Finally, the day included an artistic presentation by students from INTEC.