Green growth is a form of ecomodern masculinity which uses gendered identities to maintain consumption and oppression

From Hegemonic Masculinity to Ecomodern Masculinity Hegemonic masculinity refers to a fluid set of accepted values and practices that constitute the dominant and idealized form of masculinity in a particular time and place (Connell and Messerschmidt 2005). As Connell (1995) argues, multiple masculinities are operating at different historical moments, within various strata of society, and across different geographic locations. However, within each of these contexts, one type of masculinity is hegemonic and serves to maintain the dominance of men over women while also creating a hierarchy of masculinities. Recent research reveals how corporate interests manipulate hegemonic masculinity to gain the consensus of target communities, with the aim of reaping higher profits or quashing resistance (Bell and York, 2010; Bell et al., 2015). Naturalization of gender, racial, and class inequalities lies at the foundation of this consensus-building project, whose goal is to preserve corporate legitimacy against economic and environmental crises. As Marxist political theorist Antonio Gramsci noted, hegemony is not fixed or immutable but must continually “be renewed, recreated, defended and modified” to adapt to societal changes (Williams, 1977: 112). This work is done by “organic intellectuals,” who exemplify and articulate class interests (Gramsci 2010[1971]). Demetriou (2001) frames hegemonic masculinity in Gramscian terms, arguing that it must continually hybridize and appropriate “diverse elements from various masculinities” in order to adapt to changing historical moments (p. 348). Messner (2007) explains that beginning in the late 20th century, many professional-class white men began to embrace a “hybrid masculinity,” characterized by the toughness and decisiveness prized in the business and military cultures blended with “situationally appropriate moments of compassion and, sometimes, vulnerability” (p. 466). Part of this ideological maneuver is appealing to the classed, racialized, and gendered aspirations of less powerful people. Thus, hybrid masculinities make it possible for powerful men to reject particular aspects of hegemonic masculinity while retaining others in order to preserve the existing social order. As Messner (2007) relates, the masculine performance of Terminator film star and former Republican California “Governator” Arnold Schwarzenegger provides an illustrative example of how hybrid masculinities function. During his campaign, Schwarzenegger mingled references to his role as a muscular, heterosexual, man-of-action with promises to be “an action hero” for children. Schwarzenegger’s sensitive masculine performance was merely superficial, however; once elected, he waged “class war on California’s public workers” and poor people of color (Messner, 2007: 476). Another example of Schwarzenegger’s hybrid masculinity is a 2008 Time magazine article honoring Schwarzenegger as an “eco-pioneer” for pushing legislation capping California’s greenhouse gases using technological innovations, opining that “these times call for an action hero.” The accompanying photo shows him in business attire posing in front of his $30,000 biofuel-powered Hummer, a military vehicle modified for civilian use as a sport utility vehicle (SUV). In the article Schwarzenegger chides environmentalists who argue against American consumerism as “prohibitionist scolds” and says that he “won’t apologize for living large” (Grunwald, 2008). Hultman (2017) dubs Schwarzenegger’s shallow environmentalism “ecomodern masculinity,” a type of hybrid masculinity that is characterized by a performance of “toughness and determination” mixed with “with well-chosen moments” of sensitivity, concern, and support for “eco-friendly technology” (Hultman, 2017: 246). Undergirding ecomodern masculinity is American EM’s contention that protecting the environment does not conflict with high-energy lifestyles or profit and that it can be achieved through rational technological development and making intelligent consumer choices. Hultman (2017: 246) argues that ecomodern masculinity acts as a “cover-up for continuing down the same modern industrial path that created the problems in the first place,” while reinforcing dominant practices and institutions. A growing body of research examines the ways in which gendered identities are deployed by environmentally destructive industries in their efforts to maintain hegemony in the face of waning public trust (Bell, 2016; Bell and York, 2010; Bell et al., 2015, 2019). However, few studies have examined the ways in which industries coded as “green” might also use gendered identities in similar ways. Marxist sociologists (Foster, 2012; Foster et al., 2011) have long recognized that capitalism is dependent on maintaining inequality while undermining ecological sustainability. Thus, we argue that examining how gendered identities are deployed and manipulated to further capitalist accumulation in the name of environmental protection is a valuable undertaking. In the sections that follow, we provide a brief overview of our case: GreenTech Biofuels.1