SEXTANT: masculinities, sexualities & decolonialities

ABSTRACT

Rooted in a feminist standpoint and masculinities studies, this paper examines J. B. Peterson’s positionalities on masculinity and manhood. While seeking to understand what type of masculinity Peterson is advocating for, this body of work is constructed upon a core question: what masculinity-related ideas is J. B. Peterson spreading amongst young men? To address this matter, the focus of this paper is narrowed to the online sphere, thus dissecting three of Peterson’s most watched YouTube interviews that cover issues on masculinity, gender, feminism, and beyond. Following that, themes that resurface within Peterson’s masculinity-related rhetoric are analysed, spanning across the topics of crisis masculinity, gender hierarchies, and  anti-feminism. As Peterson’s worldview is probed via a lens of masculinities scholarship, his clear positionality of conservative anti-feminism is pinpointed and critically discussed. Overall, the type of manhood J. B. Peterson promotes amongst his online followers is identified as tied to the idea of crisis masculinity; a belief in a ‘natural’ male dominance; and – crucially – an antithesis to feminism.

KEY WOrDS

J. B. Peterson; Masculinity Studies; Crisis Masculinity; Gender Hierarchies; Anti-Feminism

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.