Jonathan A. Allan

Jonathan A. Allan is a Professor in the Department of English, Drama, and Creative Writing and Gender and Women’s Studies at Brandon University. His research focuses on taboo topics related to masculinity, obscenity, and the body, with notable works including Uncut: A Cultural Analysis of the Foreskin (2024) and Reading from Behind (2016). He holds editorial roles at journals like Journal of Bodies, Sexualities, and Masculinities and is Vice-President of the American Men’s Studies Association.

Dr. Allan’s PhD is from the University of Toronto’s Centre for Comparative Literature. His research spans censorship, circumcision debates, and nudism, often intersecting with legal and ethical frameworks. He explores how societal norms police bodies and sexuality, with a focus on masculinity studies and queer theory.

• Educations:
  • PhD, Centre for Comparative Literature, University of Toronto
  • MA, Studies in Comparative Literature and the Arts, Brock University
  • MA, Spanish Language and Culture, Queen’s University
  • BA (Honours), Spanish, Queen’s University

His research interests include censorship and obscenity law, Indigenous literatures, and interdisciplinary methods like textualism and reader response theory. He has received the Carl Bode Award for his article on anti-circumcision activism.

Teaching areas encompass American literature, Indigenous literatures in Canada, and critical studies of masculinity. His courses include Censorship and Obscenity and Erotica, often cross-listed with Gender and Women’s Studies.