Arts-integrated approaches to engaging men in violence prevention: mapping a kaleidoscope of arts, masculinities, and feminist possibilities

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ABSTRACT Efforts to engage men in gender equality and preventing violence against women, otherwise known as engaging men (EM), are growing world-wide. However, the evidence for such work remains mixed. This article responds to one critique that EM programs in the US rely on didactic instruction, failing to effectively and affectively engage participants. In response, this research draws on interviews with 15 practitioners to examine how the arts can be integrated into EM programming. The findings reveal diverse mediums and ways the arts are being used across EM efforts in the US. The article challenges a one-size-fits-all approach of adding the arts to existing EM programs and advocates for a kaleidoscopic understanding of how practitioners must intentionally integrate the arts whilst being responsive to a diverse range of factors including the program’s purpose, participants readiness for engagement and intersectional identities, and access to resources and expertise. While meaningful challenges and risks remain, the article outlines several potential ways an arts-integrated approach can support more creative, critical, and feminist-informed engagements with masculinities in EM programs.