Angelos Bollas
Biography
I am an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Maynooth University. Prior to this position, I worked at Dublin City University, University College Dublin, the University of Sheffield, and the University of Manchester. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from The American University of Greece (DEREE College), a Bachelor's degree in English from The University of London (Goldsmiths University), a Master's degree in Teaching from Leeds Beckett University, a Master's degree in Sexuality Studies from DCU, a Master's degree in Modern English Literature from Mary Immaculate College, a Master's degree in Sociology from UCD, and a PhD from DCU.
I have authored peer-reviewed journal articles on topics related to Masculinity and Sexuality Studies for journals such as the Journal of Homosexuality, the Journal of Bisexuality, the Journal of Popular Television, the Journal of Popular Film and Television, and Sexuality & Culture. I have edited a special issue on the representation of HIV/AIDS in the TV series It's a Sin (2021, Channel 4) for the Journal of Popular Television. I am the author of three books: Contemporary Irish Masculinities: Male Homosociality in Sally Rooney's Novels (Routledge), Sexualised Governmentalities: Critical Perspectives on Homosexism (Springer), and Fashionable Queerness: Straight Appropriation of Queer Fashion (Emerald). I am the co-editor HIV/AIDS in Memory, Culture, and Society (Palgrave Macmillan, with Dr Alicia Castillo Villanueva), and I am the editor of the Routledge Companion to Sally Rooney which will be published by Routledge at the end of 2024/beginning of 2025.
My research is broadly defined within sexuality, masculinity studies, and health. In particular, I research male homosociality, the role of sexuality in the socialisation of men, the ways in which cultural discourses contribute to societal responses to sexualities, and sexuality-related issues in health (and) education. I also conduct research that focuses on representation of masculinities in mainstream media, and the significance of such representations for the sociocultural context within which they occur. Additionally, I write about representations of sex, with an interest in non-normative sex and the way this is framed and presented in cultural productions. Another area of interest to me has been gender and sexuality in education.
Research Interests
My research has so far focused on a range of areas all of which have masculinities as a common factor. In my most recent book, for example, I argue that sexual practices form the basis of in-group discrimination among gay men. My previous book offered an examination of male homosociality as it is portrayed in Irish cultural products, and my next book focuses on celebrity culture and fashion with attention to evaluating whether heterosexual male celebrities' usage of queer fashion choices challenge or support hetero-patriarchal gender scripts.
I have also written about social suffering and its relationship to the HIV/AIDS experience. The area of social suffering is one that I am currently working on, designing a mixed-methods project where I explore gendered societal responses to social suffering, interrogating cis-heteropatriarchal normative understandings of suffering and the ways in which people respond to it.
Book
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Bollas, A. (2024) Fashionable Queerness: Straight Appropriation of Queer Fashion. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited. [Link] | |
| 2024 | Bollas, A. (2024) Sexualised Governmentalities: Critical Perspectives on Homosexism. Cham: Springer. [Link] | |
| 2023 | Bollas, A. (2023) Contemporary Irish Masculinities: Male Homosociality in Sally Rooney. New York: Routledge. [Link] |
Book Chapter
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Bollas, A.; Castillo Villanueva, A. (2024) 'Viral Echoes: Revisiting the Cultural Memory of HIV/AIDS' In: HIV/AIDS in Memory, Culture and Society. Basingstone : Palgrave Macmillan. [Link] | |
| 2024 | Bollas, A. (2024) 'Beyond the spectacle: Rethinking media representations of HIV/AIDS and social suffering' In: HIV/AIDS in Memory, Culture and Society. Basingstone : Palgrave Macmillan. [Link] | |
| 2023 | Bollas, A. (2023) 'LGBTQI+ Sexualities and a Diversity-Focused Approach in English for Academic Purposes' In: Diversity and Inclusion in English Language Education. London : Routledge. [Link] | |
| 2020 | Bollas, A. (2020) 'A Framework Toward Inclusive Practices in ELF: The Example of LGBTQI+ Identities' In: English for 21st Century Skills. London : Express Publishing. [Link] |
Edited Book
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Castillo Villanueva, A.;Bollas, A (Ed.). (2024) HIV/AIDS in Memory, Culture and Society. Basingstone: Palgrave Macmillan, [Link] |
Peer Reviewed Journal
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Bollas, A. (2024) 'HIV/AIDS, Disability, and Viral Masculinities'. Sexuality and Culture, . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2023 | Bollas, A. (2023) 'Men, Sides, and Homosexism: A Small-Scale Empirical Study of the Lived Experiences of Men Who Identify as Sides'. Journal of Homosexuality, 71 (8):1867-1879. [Link] https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2023.2208250 | |
| 2023 | Bollas, A. (2023) 'Viral representations: It’s a Sin'. Journal Of Popular Television, 11 (2):135-153. [Link] https://doi.org/10.1386/jptv_00099_1 | |
| 2023 | Bollas, A. (2023) 'Hegemonic Monosexuality'. Journal of Bisexuality, 23 (4):441-455. [Link] https://doi.org/10.1080/15299716.2023.2248126 | |
| 2022 | Bollas, A. (2022) 'Normal People (2020) and the New Post-Celtic Irish Man'. Journal of Popular Film and Television, 50 (2):50-59. [Link] https://doi.org/10.1080/01956051.2022.2033156 | |
| 2022 | Bollas, A. (2022) 'Viral Representations in Pose (2018–2021)'. Journal of Popular Film and Television, 50 (3). [Link] https://doi.org/10.1080/01956051.2022.2110559 | |
| 2021 | Bollas, A. (2021) 'A critical discussion of inclusive approaches to sexualities in ELT'. ELT Journal, 75 (2). [Link] https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccaa075 | |
| 2021 | Bollas, A. (2021) 'Masculinities on the Side: An Exploration of the Function of Homosexism in Maintaining Hegemonic Masculinities and Sexualities'. Sexuality and Culture, 25 . [Link] https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-021-09848-3 |
Other Journal
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Bollas, A. (2021) 'Homoterrorism: Definition, Application, Subversion' Fast Capitalism, 18 (1) :26-35. [Link] https://doi.org/10.32855/fcapital.2021.01 |
Editorial
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Bollas, A. (2023) It’s a Sin: Introduction to a Special Issue. [Editorial] [Link] https://doi.org/10.1386/jptv_00097_2 |
Edited Journal Issue
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Bollas, A.; Morgan, A.; Ledin, C.; Shankar, L. (2023) It's a Sin. [Edited Journal Issue] [Link] https://doi.org/10.1386/jptv_00097_2 |
Magazine Article
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Bollas, A. (2024) What Irish author Sally Rooney's novels teach us about masculinity. [Magazine Article] [Link] |
Teaching Interests
I have experience designing and teaching modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the areas of Sociology of Health; Sex, Gender and Sexuality; Social Inequality and Social Class; Race, Sociology of Media; Cultural Sociology; Visual Sociology; and, Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods.
I am a Universal Design for Teaching and Learning (UDL) practitioner and apply UDL principles in the modules I design, and in 2022 I was nominated for a Teaching & Learning award. I am currently completing a MA in Learning Design & Technology.
At Maynooth University, I teach:
- Social Theory
- Fieldwork Methods
- Sociology of Health
- Sociology of the Family