Jason Preston

My main research interests relate to people's ideas and experiences of masculinity, in particular, the extent to which cultural norms and expectations are changing in society. I am interested in exploring the ways that masculinities can be presented and performed, particularly in relation to practices of care and vulnerability.

My PhD research focused on heterosexual men's fathering practices, exploring how parenting expectations were navigated and made sense of. Using ethnographic methods, I was interested in how embodied caring practices contributed to fathering identities in different contexts, including domestic spaces, public spaces, and 'father-only' playgroups.

My work as a research assistant has also explored how cultural norms of masculinity are navigated in relation to violence and vulnerability, investigating the barriers men face when seeking formal support for unwanted sexual experiences (MUSE). 

I am currently working on a project which explores the relationship between bisexuality and masculinity. The aim of this study is to explore how bisexual men's feelings of and beliefs about masculinity are related to their engagement in different sexual practices with their female and male sexual partners. 

I adopt a range of methods in my teaching practices, using active learning strategies (including discussion, debate, and reflection) to encourage and foster curiosity and critical thinking about knowledge to question taken-for-granted assumptions relating to everyday lives. I see the classroom as space for the co-construction of knowledge, and encourage students to situate their own lives in academic literature.