{"id":4,"date":"2013-08-30T13:51:03","date_gmt":"2013-08-30T18:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/people.brandonu.ca\/allanj\/?page_id=4"},"modified":"2026-04-30T13:12:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T18:12:37","slug":"jonathan-allan","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/people.brandonu.ca\/allanj\/","title":{"rendered":"Jonathan A. Allan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jonathan A. Allan\u00a0<\/strong>is Professor in the Department of English, Drama, and Creative Writing<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Gender and Women\u2019s Studies<\/a>. Dr. Allan is an editor for Journal of Bodies, Sexualities, and Masculinities<\/em><\/a>, an associate editor for Journal of Femininities<\/a>, <\/em>Series Editor of “The Exquisite Corpse<\/a>” (University of Regina Press)\u00a0and Vice-President of the\u00a0American Men\u2019s Studies Association<\/a>. Dr. Allan sits on the Editorial Boards of\u00a0Journal of Men’s Studies<\/em>,\u00a0NORMA: International Journal for Masculinity Studies<\/em>, Journal of Femininities<\/em>,\u00a0Journal of Popular Romance Studies<\/em>,\u00a0Sexuality and Culture<\/em>,\u00a0and Chasqui: Revista de literatura latinoamericana<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Dr. Allan\u2019s research has long focused on the taboo and the obscene, or topics that might be understood as \u201cunmentionable,\u201d and most often in discussion with men and masculinities. Thus, his work explores how men\u2019s bodies, for instance, are censored or made taboo. For example, he has recently explored men and the procreative realm, studying men’s infertility as well as vasectomy. Dr. Allan seeks to understand the nature of the taboo and the obscene while also highlighting the importance of the topics under consideration, for example, the relation between health and the taboo. Why is it that so many are afraid of their bodies being seen, even in the context of a doctor’s office? In other work, Dr. Allan has considered the idea of nudity and nakedness, as well as the hints of the naked body (for example, underwear), to understand why this is (or is not) obscene. What connects all of this work is a curiosity about how obscenity is managed, understood, and challenged, as well as its limits.<\/p>\n

His first book, Reading from Behind: A Cultural Analysis of the Anus<\/em><\/a> (University of Regina Press, 2016), considered societal and cultural anxieties surrounding the butt, the rear, the ass, the anus. \u00a0His most recent book, Uncut: A Cultural Analysis of the Foreskin<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(University of Regina Press, 2024) provides an interdisciplinary study of the foreskin and circumcision. Instead of focusing on circumcision, Dr. Allan considers the foreskin, drawing on a wide range of sources (from sex manuals and pregnancy books to policy documents and scientific studies) to understand how it is discussed, represented, and understood. He continues to research the foreskin and circumcision. His article, \u201cReading Anti-Circumcision Activism in Clothed with the Sun: The Quarterly Journal of Clothes-Optional Living,\u201d which appeared in\u00a0the Journal of American Culture,<\/em> received the Carl Bode Award for Outstanding Article (Popular Culture Association). This paper is part of his ongoing interest in anti-circumcision activism, particularly its fascinatingly complex and nuanced history. In his lab, Dr. Allan maintains an archive of material related to the penis, circumcision, and the foreskin, which includes everything from magazines to books, parenting manuals, books about puberty and growing up, sex manuals, and legal and policy documents. Many of these documents, particularly rare ones, are being digitized to ensure their preservation.<\/p>\n

Dr. Allan’s current research focuses on nudism and naturism. In this work, he seeks to understand nudism and naturism as embodied practices and cultural traditions. Of course, nudism is often treated as taboo, but why is nudity taboo? Is the nudity found in art the same as the nudity found at a beach or resort? In this work, Dr. Allan explores nudism’s own ideas. He thus draws on the intellectual work of nudists, from nudist magazines through to memoirs and documentaries. This project explores how nudists think about a host of issues: is nudism anti-religious? Is nudism good for health and well-being? Does nudism promote body positivity? Why were nudists fascinated by Esperanto? How does nudism make sense of social issues, from racial integration to LGBTQ inclusion? Thus, he sets out to understand how nudist authors write back to and comment upon myths about nudism. In this project, Dr. Allan approaches this through a global lens and thus works with materials in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, and German.<\/p>\n

Dr. Allan strives to create welcoming and inclusive classrooms that allow all students to flourish. To these ends, he adopts universal design methods, embeds technologies, and works with emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence. He has tried using Grammarly in his classes not only to address ongoing AI anxiety but also to help students build confidence in their writing. Dr. Allan believes that classrooms are affective spaces and thus invites students to reflect on their experiences with the readings, while also showing how those experiences shape our interpretations. Ultimately, Dr. Allan wants a classroom that is joyful, comfortable, and free of anxiety.<\/p>\n

Dr. Allan received his PhD from the Centre for Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto. He holds a Master of Arts in Studies in Comparative Literature and the Arts from Brock University, a Master of Arts in Spanish Language and Culture from Queen\u2019s University, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Spanish from Queen\u2019s University.<\/p>\n

Research Areas: <\/strong><\/p>\n