The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Amin Parsa

Amin Parsa

Affiliated researcher

Amin Parsa

Images of a kinder and gentler war

Author

  • Amin Parsa

Summary, in English

This paper attempts to move beyond the well-established argument that discourses of gender equality and feminist tropes at times have played a role in justifying, legitimizing and extending military aggression on behalf of the West in the Middle East. Instead, this paper explores the ways in which the US army in concrete terms is redoing masculinity in its presentation of itself as a gentler, kinder military force, engaged with women’s rights. The paper seeks to analyze how this presentation of a transformed masculinity is linked to actual killing practices in the US counterinsurgency operations. Taking as starting point the Internet phenomenon of YouTube Military Dads, homecoming videos of US soldiers donned in their combat uniforms who appear in kindergartens, schools, workplaces or gyms to surprise their children, the paper analyses the US Army and Marine Corps counterinsurgency manual in relation to the historically gendered aspects of the military uniform to unpack the role and meaning of representations of a softer military strategy.

Department/s

  • Department of Sociology of Law

Publishing year

2016-11-09

Language

English

Document type

Conference paper: abstract

Topic

  • Law and Society

Conference name

Gender Studies Annual Sysmposium 2016

Conference date

2016-11-09 - 2016-11-09

Conference place

Lund, Sweden

Status

Published