ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the congruence of hegemonic masculinity and violence toward nonhuman animals as an impetus to understand gendered violence by detecting themes of virility and prowess in various forms of violent masculinities. These themes explored here are initially foregrounded by a consideration of hegemonic masculinity as a master discourse. This chapter then moves on to consider hegemonic masculinity as anti-ecological. To the extent that a masculine ideal rests on separation from nature, transcendence of nature, autonomy, risk, struggle, and distancing from the female, nature becomes the “Other” which must be subdued, often violently. The expression of this superiority over nature may take a variety of forms but is most evident in the domination of nonhuman animals. This chapter explores a variety of ways in which this violent performance of dominance of the nonhuman plays out: the eating of animals and blood sports, including rodeo. This chapter concludes by making the case that nonhuman animals must be taken up as a subject of serious study if we are to understand gender violence, and related oppressions, as these two issues are intricately entangled.
