Biography

Michael Kaufman has worked around the world for over two decades with men and women, rethinking our ideas about manhood, challenging sexism and violence against women, and developing better relations between the sexes. His speeches and workshops sparkle with humor, passion, and insight.

Dr. Kaufman works professionally as a writer, public speaker, consultant, and workshop leader on gender relations for governments, corporations, trade unions, universities, schools, and non-governmental organizations, in particular, the United Nations. He is a founder of the White Ribbon Campaign, the largest effort in the world of men working to end violence against women.

His six books include ones on gender issues (Cracking the Armor: Power, Pain and the Lives of Men; Beyond Patriarchy: Essays By Men on Pleasure Power and Change; Theorizing Masculinities), books on democracy and development studies (Community Power and Grassroots Democracy; Jamaica Under Manley), and an award winning novel, (The Possibility of Dreaming on a Night Without Stars).

His articles have appeared in newspapers, magazines, and journals around the world and have been translated into languages including French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.

In addition to his work across the United States and Canada, he has spoken to audiences in Europe (Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Holland, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain); in Africa (Namibia), Latin America and the Caribbean (Mexico, Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Trinidad, Colombia, Brazil), Australia, and Asia (China, Singapore, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, India,and Nepal.)

Dr. Kaufman previously taught at York University in Toronto where he was Deputy Director of the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean. He lives in Toronto, Canada with his wife, son and daughter.