Producing liminal space: gender, age and class in northern Ontario's tree planting industry

Abstract

Drawing upon qualitative data, this article examines how tree planters in northern Ontario, Canada engage with liminality in terms of gender, class, age and space. In doing so, it provides insight into concepts of gender liminality and the variegated experiences of males and females in liminal space. The article focuses on four aspects of the liminal engagement. First, the spaces of tree planting are liminal as they are marked by homelife and worklife, but dominated by neither. Second, gender performances are liminal, as males perform masculinities seldom necessary or appropriate – yet often valorized – in their permanent communities, while females (who make up nearly half of the workforce) are offered opportunities to work and succeed in a traditionally male industry. However, success often requires that they adopt certain masculine traits. Third, most tree planters are in the interstitial age of ‘youth’, somewhere between adolescence and adulthood. Finally, tree planters are generally members of affluent urban middle-classes, yet the work they perform is more readily associated with rural or peripheral working-classes.

Basándose en datos cualitativos, este artículo examina cómo los plantadores de árboles en el norte de Ontario, Canadá, se relacionan con la liminaridad en términos de género, clase, edad y lugar. De esta manera, ayuda a comprender mejor los conceptos de liminaridad de género y las heterogéneas experiencias de hombres y mujeres en los espacios liminales. El artículo se centra en cuatro aspectos del involucramiento liminar. Primero, los espacios de plantación de árboles son liminares ya que están marcados por la vida de hogar y la vida de trabajo, pero no están dominados por ninguno de los dos. Segundo, las actitudes de género son liminares, ya que los hombres despliegan masculinidades pocas veces necesarias o apropiadas – aunque a menudo valorizadas – en sus comunidades permanentes, mientras que a las mujeres (que componen cerca de la mitad de la fuerza de trabajo) se les ofrecen oportunidades de trabajar y tener éxito en una industria tradicionalmente masculina. Sin embargo, el éxito a menudo requiere que ellas adquieran ciertas cualidades masculinas. Tercero, la mayoría de los plantadores de árboles están en la edad intersticial de la “juventud”, en algún lugar entre la adolescencia y la adultez. Finalmente, los plantadores de árboles son generalmente miembros de una clase media urbana acomodada, aunque el trabajo que realizan está más asociado con las clases sociales rurales o periféricas.

Keywords:

• liminal space
• gender liminality
• tree planting
• spaces of production

Keywords:

• espacio liminar
• liminaridad de género
• plantación de árboles
• espacios de producción

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the constructive comments provided by John Holmes, Julia Bryan, Annie Bartos, and Emily Lynch, as well as those of the editors. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the interview subjects who participated in my study.

Notes

1. When reflecting on time spent in the field, it was evident that masculinity was performed in three ways. First and foremost, there was an expectation (that was partly self-prescribed) that the author should exceed normal production rates in order to earn respect and demonstrate usefulness to the supervisors who provided access. Second, the half-ton pickup truck used as a practical means of transportation and a ‘private’ space for interviews held symbolic value as a signifier of working-class masculinity (Dunk 2003). Lastly, during leisure time there was an expectation to perform – at least publicly – in a fashion befitting a male tree planter. To curtail the consumption of alcohol or marijuana or avoid inter-gender banter may have undermined credibility as an ‘insider’.

2. Statistics Canada does not classify tree planting as a single occupation due to privacy regulations, and most tree planters are more likely to appear as students in census data.

3. While all male and female interview subjects were 18 years of age or older, most chose to use the terms ‘girl’, ‘boy’, and ‘guy’ rather than ‘men’ or ‘women’. This reflects the liminal nature of ‘youth’.

4. Flagging tape is thin, non-adhesive plastic tape used to mark or ‘flag’ work spaces. The most common colours of flagging tape contrast with the forest background, such as orange, pink or yellow.