This paper explores the possibilities of developing cross-cultural partnerships to support men in defying dominant prescriptions of masculinity. It focuses on the individual stories of two men of different ages and experiences living on different continents, and shows the coming together of their stories.

Both undertook a migration of identity away from dominating ideas and beliefs that justified harm and abuse, and towards a preferred form of masculinity aligned with their values, and with practices of dignity and nonviolence. Through the creation, translation and sharing of documents of resistance, each of these men was able to contribute to the other, and to receive something in return. This helped to counteract the sense of isolation often experienced by men who depart from dominant masculinities and seek to inhabit a more ethical way of being. It also enabled cross-cultural insights about the operations of power. I hope the story of these two men and their improbable partnership will inspire more partnerships that support the questioning of cultural ideas about how we perform gender, and that it will invite practitioners to notice and attend to acts of resistance to non-liberative ways of being.

Key words: masculinity; cross-cultural; partnerships; violence; alcohol; ethical restoration; documentation; narrative practice.

Mosso Tupper, N. (2023). Building bridges across stories: Developing cross-cultural partnerships to challenge masculinity. International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, (1), 0–0. https://doi.org/10.4320/DMFX2738