B1 Non-refereed article in a scientific journal

Conversation: Potential for Inclusive Populist Masculinities




AuthorsHakola Outi, Salminen Janne, Winberg Oscar

PublisherBrill

Publication year2024

JournalPopulism

Journal name in sourcePopulism

Volume7

Issue1

First page 127

Last page134

eISSN2588-8072

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1163/25888072-bja10062(external)

Web address https://brill.com/view/journals/popu/7/1/article-p127_6.xml(external)


Abstract

This conversation text responds to Larry A. Swatuk's thoughtful review of our book The Culture and Politics of Populist Masculinities (Hakola, Salminen, Turpeinen & Winberg, 2021). Swatuk inspired us to consider what inclusive populist masculinity could look like. In our conversation, we argue that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offers us a case, where the evolution of Zelenskyy's political persona from his roots in entertainment to his presidency brings forward an inclusive gender potential. Initially challenging traditional gender norms, Zelenskyy's early presidency sought to deconstruct hierarchical political cultures and gender assumptions. However, with the onset of the Russian invasion in 2022, his gender performances evolved towards more conventional masculinity, yet leaving room for inclusive interpretations. Zelenskyy, along with other figures, has redefined masculine archetypes in intersections of popular culture and politics, which shows that any deterministic categories to understand populist masculinities downplay the cultural complexity and varied contexts of the phenomenon. © Outi Hakola et al., 2024.



Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 18:13