Considering masculinities at forest fires: the case of the 2021 Muğla forest fires in Turkey
Journal of Gender Studies, cilt.34, sa.7, ss.1054-1067, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 34 Sayı: 7
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/09589236.2024.2425349
- Dergi Adı: Journal of Gender Studies
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Gender Studies Database, Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Psycinfo, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1054-1067
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Forest fires, masculinities and disaster, masculinities and environment, masculinity studies, Turkey
- Maltepe Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This article investigates emerging masculinities in Turkey’s massive Muğla forest fires of 2021 and their aftermath. The findings are based on a multi-stage qualitative field study: the disaster research was conducted in Köyceğiz and Marmaris in 2021, as well as social media research and personal observations during the fires, followed by follow-up research in 2022. Following Pacholok (2013). I argue that in the unique time and terrain frame of disaster, masculinities are contested and realized. In relation to disaster and environment, four main local constructions of masculinities are observed during the fires. They are (1) the villagers who embody traditional rural masculinities, (2) the firefighters who represent working-class masculinities based on arduous physical labour without heroism, (3) the forest officers and engineers who represent masculinities with refined state-centred engineering male rationality that aim for men’s domination over nature, and (4) the celebrities and volunteers that comprise the urbanites who represent possibilities for alternative ecomasculinities with subtle gender egalitarianism. They present particular constructions of masculinities that reveal local societal norms and expectations and the gender relations that emerged as a result of the crisis environment caused by forest fires.