ABSTRACT
Environmental considerations, such as global heating, have traditionally been marginal issues in masculinities research. In alignment with scholars from various discourses (particularly ecofeminism), this chapter exposes men as the main perpetrators of the slow violences of social inequalities and global through to local (‘glocal’) ecological destruction. These violences are instigated and maintained by masculinist socialisations referred to as industrial/breadwinner and ecomodern masculinities. These two masculinities categories create considerable barriers for men to engage in social and environmental care. Ecological masculinities are proposed as an alternative, which argues for the need to reconfigure masculinities, particularly in the Global North. Interviews with a select group of men in Järna, a progressive rural community in Sweden, are considered in order to scrutinise the masculinities/environment nexus in practical terms. Ideological and behavioural changes were assessed to support the creation of positive paths forward for men and masculinities. Participant experiences were evaluated, revealing the following themes: interconnectivity; accountability; emotional literacy; and embodied knowledge. These themes indicate tendencies to transition from passive awareness to deeper social and ecological engagements and actions in the political and personal aspects of participants’ lives.
