“Petromasculinism” is an attempt to “reconstruct masculinity” with an image of the man whose lifestyle and identity are linked to fossil fuels and who does not use public transportation, but rather powerful vans. which run on oil. This representation serves the oil industry, but also the conservative parties, who see it as another tool to seduce voters, indicates Professor Frédérick Guillaume Dufour who explored this phenomenon and who is offering a conference on this subject this week during the Acfas congress.
The political sociologist from UQAM has long studied various forms of nationalism and right-wing populism. More recently, he became interested in petropopulism, then in petromasculinism from Western Canada, which notably mobilize the “good people against corrupt elites. »
In an increasingly polarized world, Mr. Dufour decided to study this more precise aspect: in petropopulism, to what extent are there gendered representations which fuel it even more?
He will offer his research results on Tuesday at the congress of the French-Canadian Association for the Advancement of Sciences (Acfas) with his presentation entitled “The marketing of banal petro-masculinist nationalism for the two solitudes”. The researcher, however, agreed to speak in advance with The duty to explain these concepts which raise as many questions as they do interest.
Petropopulism from Western Canada
There were conditions conducive to the birth of this identity populism in Western Canada.
The oil industry, for Albertans, is a symbol that represents the fight for their autonomy against the federal government which, according to many of them, blocks their economic development. “They have not digested the policies of Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the father of oil nationalization. » Thus, many elements of their identity are linked to “this opposition to the federal government”.
Even for those who do not work in the oil industry, this natural resource represents a higher standard of living and therefore the wealth of their province.
He explains that, in the oil-producing provinces of Canada — especially in Alberta — the “good people” see themselves as those who consume Canadian oil, while the “urban elites” are seen as those who want to develop transportation in common, the wind industry and tax the tar sands industry.
For this specific research project, he examined petro-masculinism through the study of some 1,000 messages posted online on two Facebook sites intended for the public, one for English-speaking Canadians and the other for the Quebec public: “Canada Proud” and “Proud Quebec”.
In particular, he saw “eccentric” images of electric cars exploding or others driven by men considered “effeminate” by those who published them. He also reported this false image of a rainbow-colored Dodge Ram truck to ridicule fans of American singer Taylor Swift.
There was also a lot of anti-immigration and “anti-immigration” content.woke », he concludes after examining the messages. Numerous messages promoted the benefits of oil and many showed “clear hostility” towards the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, while the leader of the Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, is “more openly” highlighted. In Quebec, it is less highlighted, but the subtext of the messages displayed is to attract Internet users to the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, Éric Duhaime, says the researcher.
Petromasculinism, a concept that emerged about ten years ago, says the researcher, “is an attempt to reconstruct masculinity with a man who does not use public transportation, but who drives a car running on oil.” , he illustrates.
For this study, the professor speaks of “petromasculinism marketing”. If it is marketing, one might wonder who promotes and disseminates it. “It clearly benefits the tar sands industry,” replies the researcher, and therefore “indirectly to the Canadian Conservative Party” because it is the political party which has always been closest to this industry and which is more open about it. the promotion.
From petropopulism to petromasculinism
Petromasculinism is part of a possible extension of the conservative discourse, which brings a very pronounced division of tasks between men and women in all spheres of life, explains Frédérick Guillaume Dufour. “Man must embody strength,” as the popular F-150 and Dodge Ram work truck models do, he gives as an example.
Thus, the concepts of the male provider and the autonomous entrepreneur who carries out major work requiring a powerful vehicle are highlighted: “There is a whole imagination of masculinity around that. »
One of the objectives of petro-masculinist marketing is also to link a representation of masculinity to the lifestyle that comes with oil.
The more the demand for an ecological transition increases, and thus for alternatives to fossil fuels, the more the Conservative Party must develop tools to curb policies favoring cleaner energy.
Thus, “I believe that petropopulism and petromasculinism are two arrows in their quiver,” says the researcher. The Conservatives, however, have other strings to their bow to support their pro-oil policies, notably by arguing that Canadian oil is more ethical (and not imported from countries that do not respect human rights), cleaner than others, or that it contributes to job creation for Aboriginal people.
For Mr. Dufour, the study of these dynamics makes it possible to make people, particularly young men, aware of what is sold to them as a discourse and as a representation of masculinity. And if we think that the ecological transition is necessary, these images and messages posted online indicate what types of representations we need to act on, he continues.
The Acfas congress takes place this year in Ottawa from May 13 to 17.