Ecomodern Masculinity, Energy Security, and Green Consumerism

The Rise of Biofuels in the United States

Bibliographic Data

ID7737355
AuthorsSue Dockstader (0000-0001-6601-4972, University of Oregon), Shannon Bell (0000-0002-7338-3757), Shannon Elizabeth Bell (Virginia Tech)
Year2020
Volume46
Issue4-5
Pages643-660
Publication date2020-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCritical Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0896-9205 • E-ISSN: 1569-1632
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0896920519885010
OpenAlexW2996452798
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited43

Through a case study of a major biofuel company in the United States, we seek to uncover how producers and consumers promote biofuels as a solution to climate change, despite considerable evidence demonstrating that biofuels are socially and environmentally destructive. Analysis of the company’s marketing materials and interviews with the owner and customers reveals that a primary way the company puts a green spin on biofuels is the deployment of “ecomodern masculinity.” This hybrid masculinity invokes a particular class-based environmentalism that positions biofuels as the ethical choice of good men concerned about the environment. This gendered ideology embraces a variant of Ecological Modernization that strategically adopts the appearance of environmental care while promoting the American values of energy security and green consumerism. We argue that this gendered repackaging of biofuels bolsters existing social inequalities, safeguards capital accumulation, and inhibits the systemic changes needed to address the climate crisis

Biofuel · Business · Consumerism · Ecological modernization · Economics · Energy security · Environmentalism · Market economy · Masculinity · Political science · Politics · Renewable energy · Sociology · Waste management · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Ecocriticism and Environmental Literature · Engineering · Gender Studies · Law

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