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The duality of man: An exploration of masculine identities as both drivers and disruptors of far-right climate denialism in Canada

Swan, Janice LU (2024) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20241
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
The climate is in a state of emergency. Anthropogenic climate change is destroying social and environmental systems across the world (albeit, unevenly) and jeopardizing the safety and humanity of present and future generations. Nevertheless, climate denialism persists as a rhetoric and belief, particularly within the burgeoning far-right political projects in countries most responsible for rising temperatures. The current study endeavours to unearth why this may be the case, and how it could potentially be explained by another facet of far-right ideology: misogyny. To do so, I critically analyze the People’s Party of Canada’s climate discourse through a political ecology lens anchored in Gramscian theories of hegemony and feminist... (More)
The climate is in a state of emergency. Anthropogenic climate change is destroying social and environmental systems across the world (albeit, unevenly) and jeopardizing the safety and humanity of present and future generations. Nevertheless, climate denialism persists as a rhetoric and belief, particularly within the burgeoning far-right political projects in countries most responsible for rising temperatures. The current study endeavours to unearth why this may be the case, and how it could potentially be explained by another facet of far-right ideology: misogyny. To do so, I critically analyze the People’s Party of Canada’s climate discourse through a political ecology lens anchored in Gramscian theories of hegemony and feminist conceptualisations of masculinities. Ultimately, I find that the PPC articulate a heavily masculinized and topically diverse form of denial, assessed to be a part of a broader strategy to secure power within Canadian politics via established dominant fossil fuel and patriarchal paradigms. I suggest several strategies that could contribute to the effective resistance of such a complex discourse, including the elevation of ecological masculine identities and an unwavering endorsement of multiculturalist ethics. (Less)
Abstract (French)
Le climat est en état d’urgence. Le changement climatique anthropique détruit les systèmes sociaux et environnementaux à travers le monde (de manière inégale, cependant) et met en péril la sécurité et l’humanité des générations présentes et futures. Néanmoins, le déni du climat persiste sous forme de rhétorique et de croyance, en particulier au sein des projets politiques d’extrême droite en plein essor dans les pays les plus responsables de la hausse des températures. La présente étude s’efforce de découvrir pourquoi cela pourrait être le cas et comment cela pourrait potentiellement s’expliquer par une autre facette de l’idéologie d’extrême droite : la misogynie. Pour ce faire, j’analyse de manière critique le discours climatique du Parti... (More)
Le climat est en état d’urgence. Le changement climatique anthropique détruit les systèmes sociaux et environnementaux à travers le monde (de manière inégale, cependant) et met en péril la sécurité et l’humanité des générations présentes et futures. Néanmoins, le déni du climat persiste sous forme de rhétorique et de croyance, en particulier au sein des projets politiques d’extrême droite en plein essor dans les pays les plus responsables de la hausse des températures. La présente étude s’efforce de découvrir pourquoi cela pourrait être le cas et comment cela pourrait potentiellement s’expliquer par une autre facette de l’idéologie d’extrême droite : la misogynie. Pour ce faire, j’analyse de manière critique le discours climatique du Parti populaire du Canada à travers une lentille de «political ecology» ancrée dans les théories Gramsciennes de l’hégémonie et les conceptualisations féministes des masculinités. Je trouve que le PPC exprime une forme de déni fortement masculinisée et diversifiée sur le plan thématique, considérée comme faisant partie d’une stratégie plus large visant à assurer le pouvoir au sein de la politique canadienne via des paradigmes dominants établis de combustibles fossiles et patriarcaux. Je suggère plusieurs stratégies qui pourraient contribuer à une résistance efficace à un discours aussi complexe, notamment l’élévation des identités masculines écologiques et un soutien inébranlable à l’éthique multiculturaliste. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Swan, Janice LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM02 20241
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
fossil fuel hegemony, climate skepticism, feminist critical discourse analysis, masculinities, political ecologies of the far right, sustainability science
publication/series
Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
report number
2024:013
language
English
id
9153743
date added to LUP
2024-05-27 10:20:38
date last changed
2024-05-27 10:20:38
@misc{9153743,
  abstract     = {{The climate is in a state of emergency. Anthropogenic climate change is destroying social and environmental systems across the world (albeit, unevenly) and jeopardizing the safety and humanity of present and future generations. Nevertheless, climate denialism persists as a rhetoric and belief, particularly within the burgeoning far-right political projects in countries most responsible for rising temperatures. The current study endeavours to unearth why this may be the case, and how it could potentially be explained by another facet of far-right ideology: misogyny. To do so, I critically analyze the People’s Party of Canada’s climate discourse through a political ecology lens anchored in Gramscian theories of hegemony and feminist conceptualisations of masculinities. Ultimately, I find that the PPC articulate a heavily masculinized and topically diverse form of denial, assessed to be a part of a broader strategy to secure power within Canadian politics via established dominant fossil fuel and patriarchal paradigms. I suggest several strategies that could contribute to the effective resistance of such a complex discourse, including the elevation of ecological masculine identities and an unwavering endorsement of multiculturalist ethics.}},
  author       = {{Swan, Janice}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{The duality of man: An exploration of masculine identities as both drivers and disruptors of far-right climate denialism in Canada}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}