Conceptualizing masculinist collaboration in crisis discourse

With her conception of “petro-masculinity” Cara Daggett (2018) introduces a perspective on political masculinities in the context of climate change and climate crisis. Petro-masculinity is the hypermasculine defense of hegemonic masculinity under pressure and thus tends to climate-change denial and (political) authoritarianism. Burning fossil fuels serves the reassertion of white masculine power on an unruly planet. Petro-masculinity is challenged by “ecomodern masculinity” according to Hultman (2017). Ecomodern masculinity is a hybrid style of masculinity, mixing toughness, determination, and hardness with appropriate moments of compassion and care. Ecomodern masculinity promotes technological solutions to climate change and environmental crisis. Both energy masculinities seem to compete striving for hegemony. However, a closer look reveals a kind of complementary collaboration. Both reject fundamental changes of the hegemonic way of life (in the North) and thus pursue the same project. Daggett explores similar constellations of masculinities in the history of colonialism and capitalism. The supposed difference and competition between commerce and conquest or the adventurer and the financier turn out to be two sides of the same coin. Taking these observations as a starting point, this paper seeks to explore and theorize emerging constellations of (political) masculinities in recent crisis debates. Since the financial crisis (2008/2010), a series of multiple crises (including migration flows, Covid-19, renewed flare-up of violent conflicts) dominates political discourse. We assume that different (political) masculinities provide their own definitions of and solutions to a crisis and re-masculinize the crisis discourse and thus endanger gender democracy. The aim of this paper is to provide a theoretical framework to conceptualize collaborative/competitive masculinities. This will be exemplified by analyzing recent political debates in the Austrian parliament related to Covid-19 crisis and the war in Ukraine.