Premium
Of tractors and men: masculinity, technology and power in a French farming community
Author(s) -
Saugeres Lise
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
sociologia ruralis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.005
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1467-9523
pISSN - 0038-0199
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9523.00207
Subject(s) - masculinity , appropriation , femininity , tractor , power (physics) , sociology , ethnography , gender studies , symbol (formal) , agriculture , narrative , geography , anthropology , engineering , art , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics , linguistics , philosophy , literature , automotive engineering , computer science , programming language
This paper explores cultural constructions of masculinities and femininities among farming families in a French community. In particular, it shows how, with the development of agricultural technology, the tractor has become a symbol of male power and spatial domination over women. Drawing on life–history interviews and ethnographic observations, it is argued that farmers have appropriated agricultural technology and used it to construct and reaffirm their masculine identities. As a result of this appropriation,women’s work in agricultural production has become limited to carrying out menial tasks which are seen as secondary to farming.Focusing on narratives revolving around men, women and tractors, the paper shows that the tractor,as a symbol of male domination,is directly opposed to images of femininity. However, it is argued that the tractor can also become the expression of struggle and contention over masculine power and patriarchal gender relations on the farm.