Doing Rural Masculinity – From Logging to Outfield Tourism

This article deals with the issue of stability and change in rural masculinity by studying how masculinity changes when work changes. Logging, which used to form a basis for the construction of masculinity in peripheral areas, is in the process of being replaced by new types of work brought about by the commodification of natural and cultural resources. Hunting, fishing and adventures in the wilderness as products are grounded in the traditional competences of rural men, but include elements of service work that go beyond masculine rural knowledge and networks, and introduce features of femininity and urbanity. When urban customers enter places and activities that used to be central for the identification of the rural masculine, rural men seek new places and challenges where ‘real rural masculinity’ may be expressed.