Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on methodologies and the study of agricultural masculinities. It presents the qualitative data obtained throughout the ethnography of the Farmers' Union which collectively demonstrates that agricultural organizations are infused with hegemonic masculinity. The book also focuses on to the typology of managerial masculinities outlined by Collinson and Hearn. In this typology, the authors identify five dominant types of managerial masculinity in organizations: paternalism, authoritarianism, entrepreneurialism, informalism and careerism. The book explores the emergence of a 'new' form of managerial masculinity evident in the discourses of members of a Young Farmers' Group established as an addendum to the mainstream Farmers' Union. It discusses one of the key concerns of feminist poststructuralists has been to expose the way in which women can alter, critique, disrupt and subvert dominant gender discourses.