Masculinities in transformation: gender identity and conservation narratives in the Gulf of California, Mexico

Abstract

In several communities in the Gulf of California, northwest Mexico, women have initiated practices of monitoring and surveillance of marine species, thereby rendering themselves visible as pivotal actors in the conservation of coastal and fishing resources. This has precipitated transformations in gender identities and relations. The article draws upon ethnographic research conducted in Bahía de los Ángeles (BLA) to reflect upon these transformations, with a particular focus on the shifts in socially dominant masculinities. These masculinities are examined through the lens of hegemonic masculinity and embodied by the fishermen of the Old Generation. The relational character of masculinities is the starting point for the analysis, which employs a dual approach: the spatial axis (relating to terrestrial and marine practices) and the temporal axis (past and current practices). The analysis examines the emergence of more flexible and eco-conscious masculinities practised by the New Generation. These novel masculinities have been instrumental in transforming illegal, polluting and harmful practices at the socio-environmental level, thereby initiating the incorporation of novel methodologies, actions and discourses of environmental care and respect for the role of women in fishing communities. To comprehend these transformations, a community social mapping methodology was undertaken, which facilitated the construction of environmental memories, spatial narratives, problems and expectations from a gender perspective.