 |
 |
Feminine and Masculine Identities in Rural Space AAG 2008: Boston, MA Brandon H. Haddock, Kansas State University, [log in to unmask] W. Scott Whitlock, University of Arizona, [log in to unmask] Jo Little (2002) argues that geographers have only half-heartedly embraced feminist perspective and their most glaring oversight has been examinations of gender in the rural space. As a result, our understandings of the specific gendered workings in this context are highly underdeveloped, especially in how men and women come to see themselves as masculine or feminine in the first place and how these categories are contested by the rural experiences of nonnormative populations. This is made more interesting that gender and rural space are often intimately linked, especially in Western and American culture. The historic and modern romanticism of rural America provides iconography for the American rural image. Many rural and urban youth alike have long idealized the imagery of the virile, hardworking farmhand and the swaggering, rugged cowboy. Also, the imagery of the tough-as-nails femininity of the pioneer woman has arguably shaped the modern American image of women. Geographers are finally turning their attention to the gendered workings of this space, and, as some of the emerging work in this field shows, gender does not operate smoothly in the rural space and is often as complicated as its urban counterpart. This session seeks to contribute to this work and explore the discussion of gender and self-image in the rural space. We welcome paper submissions that include research on the construction of historic and modern masculine and feminine identity in rural space. Topics can include but are not limited to: Historic and Modern Perception of Rural Space Historic and Modern Rural Identity Queer Subcultures Queer Space in the Rural Gender Constructions among Rural Children Rural Masculinities Rural Femininity Non-Western Rural Space Non-Western Gender Identity Transgender Rural Identity Social Justice Issues and the Rural Space Gender Disparity in the Rural Space Heteronormativity and the Rural Space Ecofeminism and the Rural Space Lesbian Separatism Environment, Gender, and the Rural Space Please submit abstracts and registration pin to Scott Whitlock ([log in to unmask]) by October 25, 2007 for consideration. --- W. Scott Whitlock University of Arizona Department of Geography and Regional Development [log in to unmask]