The vegan underdog : An interview study about vegan men, masculinity and political potency

Eating meat is an increasingly problematic social practice. It has devastating environmental effects; itends and exploits animals’ lives and as a social practice it is also connected to other oppressive systems.In our culture, meat is symbolically tied to manhood and the ideological system of carnism that supportsanimal exploitation. This strong relationship between meat and masculinity becomes a problem for vegan men that wishes to advance animal welfare but are held back by masculine norms. Must masculinity be contested by vegan men in order to advance veganism? This research explores vegan men’s perception of masculinity and veganism through six in-depth interviews. The study uses thematic analysis and utilises Connell’s theory of hegemonic masculinity to explore these vegan men’s perception and relationship to masculinity in a vegan context. The study shows that vegan men disassociate themselves from what they perceive to be negative masculine traits. Instead, they endorse feminine traits such as humility andempathy leading to what they perceive to be a more mature identity. However, and as this study shows,masculinity is still much in focus. While asserting that men’s role in veganism is crucial to reach other men, they advance masculine traits such as rationalism, knowledge, argumentation and winning. Following the political theorist Wendy Brown, these traits are comprehended as adhering to a neoliberalist subject position that frames our contemporary political landscape. The study shows how hegemonic forms of masculinity may be reproduced through veganism by appeal and consensus with masculine norms