Masculinities in the rural and the agricultural: A Literature Review

Abstract

This article provides a summary of social science studies at the nexus of masculinity and the rural, particularly the agricultural. These studies began to emerge in the rural social science literature in 1995, when Berit Brandth pioneered the study of masculinities and farming practices in Norway. The studies reviewed here are particularly important as they begin to focus on men and masculinities in the rural and the agricultural, categories that previously had been the assumed, yet invisible subject of rural studies. The studies also link masculinity to farming practices in a number of ways that clearly have implications for the future of farming in terms of ecological crises across social, economic and environmental rural landscapes. The aim of this article is twofold; to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between masculine identities and farming practices and to identify possible theoretical pathways for future research that might assist us to identify and develop more sustainable ways of farming and rural life. © 2009 The Author. Journal Compilation © 2009 European Society for Rural Sociology.