(R)evolving masculinities in times of change amongst small-scale fishers in North Wales

Abstract

Whilst fishing men have commonly been investigated through the lens of 'hegemonic masculinity', recent studies have highlighted a potential change and nuancing of such fishing masculinities. Inspired by the call to pay attention to masculinities as fluid, contextual and interpersonal, this paper pays attention to scalar, placed and temporal specificities to consider how 'socially-dominant masculinities' can develop (and persist) in specific contexts. A case study of the North Wales Llŷn peninsula fishery is drawn upon in examining how local practices (re)define what it means to be a man in this area. The paper highlights the continued importance of the physicality of fishing in shaping locally socially-dominant masculinities -noting how fisher's bodies are not only central to masculine performances but also embody their fishing history and their relative positioning in their locality. It considers the relational nature of fishing masculinities -noting how masculinity is written both spatially in relation to practices 'on land' and 'at sea' and also temporally through reference to both past practices and predecessors. Finally, the paper considers changes to fishing masculinities, especially associated with family life and changing economic contexts, noting how such new practices may be incorporated into longer-standing aspects of fishing masculinity.

Characterization of masculinity expressions and their influence on the participation of women in Mexican small-scale fisheries

“…These men tended towards equality by distancing themselves from the hegemonic model of masculinity. This is consistent with the results of other recent studies that have highlighted possible changes in masculinities (Pini and Conway 2017 ; Gustavsson and Riley 2018 , 2019 ; Coulthard et al 2020 ).…”

“…It is necessary to de-essentialize how men are conceptualized and to view them as gender subjects in specific social practices (Connell 1995 ; Núñez 2017 ). The results of this study coincide with those of Gustavsson and Riley ( 2019 ) regarding the relational character of fishing masculinities, incorporating the experiences of young fishers with those of their mentors in addition to changes associated with family life and income. New practices can be incorporated into more traditional aspects of masculinity.…”

“…Recent studies have highlighted a possible nuanced change in fishing masculinities (Pini and Conway 2017 ; Gustavsson and Riley 2018 , 2019 ; Coulthard et al 2020 ). For example, Gustavsson and Riley ( 2019 ) report that changes in fishing masculinities are associated with changes in family life and income, with new practices being incorporated into the older and traditional aspects of fishing masculinity. These new forms commonly intermingle with traditional aspects of masculinity but do not replace them (Pini and Conway 2017 ).…”

“…Therefore, it is important to recognize the situational components of gender and that masculinities are not static but dynamic (Hopkins and Gorman-Murray 2014 ), and it is essential to avoid adopting generalized constructions of fishing masculinities. According to Gustavsson and Riley ( 2019 ), recognizing that a single hegemonic fishing masculinity does not exist and that masculinities depend on their geographic, cultural, and temporal contexts is necessary to understand how masculinities can be redefined and reworked over time by sociocultural and structural changes in fishery industry organizations.…”

Leaky bodies: masculinity and risk in the practice of cyanide fishing in Indonesia

“…Yet, while dive fishing appears as a quintessential case of macho-type masculinity, founded on the celebration of strength, mastery and the heroic, an appreciation of fishing masculinities related to risk-taking needs to go beyond a hegemonic figure of the 'hard-bodied self-contained man' . Looking beyond the continued presence of hegemonic masculinities (Connell 1995) in rural and risky occupations such as fishing, there have been suggestions to consider the different kinds of masculinities that are produced and (re) shaped in practice (Gustavsson and Riley 2020). Such approach sees masculinity in fishing not as a fixed identity in a set body, but as provisional and subject to change and redefinition (Bull 2009, 461).…”