Of Meat and Men: Exploring Men's Experiences with Vegetarianism

dc.contributor.advisorMertig, Angela
dc.contributor.authorLax, Jacob Benjamin
dc.contributor.committeememberMacLean, Vicky
dc.contributor.committeememberDye, Meredith
dc.contributor.departmentSociologyen_US
dc.date.accessioned2018-06-05T20:04:54Z
dc.date.available2018-06-05T20:04:54Z
dc.date.issued2018-03-28
dc.description.abstractResearch suggests an association between meat and masculinity, but little is known about men who are vegetarian. Drawing on literature primarily from the sociology of gender and ecofeminism, this thesis employs a phenomenological research design to explore how masculinity operates in the experiences of ten men who are vegetarian. Three themes emerge from the analysis. The first theme, rationality and emotionality, shows that most men in this study use logic and reason to justify their decision to become vegetarian rather than making more emotional appeals. The second theme, stereotype avoidance and self-presentations, describes images of “PETA extremists” and “preachy vegetarians” and reveals how the men wish to present their vegetarianism in ways that avoid disrupting the status quo. The final theme, masculine, vegetarian identity and the resolution of gender threats, describes the complex and sometimes contradictory ways in which men who are vegetarian both reject and reproduce dominant constructions of masculinity. Together, the findings reveal that masculinity does appear to play some role in how the men in this study experience vegetarianism.
dc.description.degreeM.A.
dc.identifier.urihttp://jewlscholar.mtsu.edu/xmlui/handle/mtsu/5672
dc.publisherMiddle Tennessee State University
dc.subjectEcofeminism
dc.subjectMasculinities
dc.subjectVegetarianism
dc.subject.umiSociology
dc.subject.umiGender studies
dc.thesis.degreegrantorMiddle Tennessee State University
dc.thesis.degreelevelMasters
dc.titleOf Meat and Men: Exploring Men's Experiences with Vegetarianism
dc.typeThesis

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