Rebranding Masculinities for an Old Patriarchal Structure: An Analysis of Hegemonic Narratives in U.S. Agriculture

• In Event: 512 - Section on Sex and Gender Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 08. Masculinities, Online Communities and Media

Abstract

This study identifies the gendered discourse of symbols and meanings used to construct masculinities embedded within a specific context, that of contemporary, productivist agriculture. This gendered discourse is maintained through the formula story of the “Good Farmer.” Three main questions guide this study: (1) how are masculine resources embedded throughout productivist agriculture, (2) how is the narrative of masculinities constructed, and (3) what are its implications? Using a qualitative analysis of popular conventional farm journals, the authors describe three main discursive strategies used in the masculine formula story of conventional agriculture: (1) membership; (2) knowledge and defense; and (3) production. These strategies play a critical role in the (re)production of dominant masculine resources embedded within a patriarchal framework of the United States agricultural system. The authors argue that the processes of masculinity construction in the formula story of the “Good Farmer” are inextricably linked with hegemonic positions of power within conventional agriculture. These processes illustrate not only the understudied impact of a gender discourse in agriculture, but also how this formula story of the “Good Farmer” further embeds a specific type of masculinity within the productivist agricultural paradigm. Our study contributes to an understanding of how the discursive construction of masculinities through narratives sustains gender inequality while simultaneously reinforcing the hegemony of the productivist agricultural paradigm within the U.S. agricultural system. Our study offers a theoretical contribution to further intersectional analysis of this agricultural paradigm to include gender, class, and types of agricultural practice.

Authors

• Angie Carter, Iowa State University

• Andres Lazaro Lopez, Iowa State University