Work

Petro-masculinity: Fossil Fuels and Authoritarian Desire

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: As the planet warms, new authoritarian movements in the West are embracing a toxic combination of climate denial, racism and misogyny. Rather than consider these resentments separately, this article interrogates their relationship through the concept of petro-masculinity, which appreciates the historic role of fossil fuel systems in buttressing white patriarchal rule. Petro-masculinity is helpful to understanding how the anxieties aroused by the Anthropocene can augment desires for authoritarianism. The concept of petro-masculinity suggests that fossil fuels mean more than profit; fossil fuels also contribute to making identities, which poses risks for post-carbon energy politics. Moreover, through a psycho-political reading of authoritarianism, I show how fossil fuel use can function as a violent compensatory practice in reaction to gender and climate trouble.

Source: Millennium Journal of International Studies

DOI: 10.1177/0305829818775817

Author: Cara Daggett

Institution: Virginia Tech

Language: English

Topic: Ecocriticism and Environmental Literature

Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650