Theorising the Phallocene: Reconceptualising the Anthropocene through Gendered Power Structures

Abstract The term Anthropocene needs a re-evaluation for recognising and encompassing gendered factors that propelled Earth to transition into the current geological epoch. An exploration of the triad theoretical framework of phallocentrism, phallosphere, and phallocene unveils the gendered power structures behind environmental collapse. While phallocentrism is the philosophical foundation that maintains the masculine domination over nature, phallosphere represents an interconnected system of male-dominated and extractive machinery governed by phallocentric ideologies. These two concepts together necessitate a reconfiguration of “Anthropocene” as “phallocene,” that is, an epoch shaped by the phallosphere’s stratigraphic imprint on Earth. Therefore, (re)naming of the “Anthropocene” as “phallocene” addresses the gendered blind spot in geohumanities, simultaneously offering an alternative lens to diagnose the phallic roots of ecological crisis.