Overview
A particular dark triumph of modern nationalism has been its ability to persuade citizens to sacrifice their lives for a political vision forged by emotional ties to a common identity. Both men and women can respond to nationalistic calls to fight that portray muscular warriors defending their nation against an easily recognizable enemy. This “us versus them” mentality can be seen in sectarian violence between Hindus and Muslims, Tamils and Sinhalas, Serbs and Kosovars, and Protestants and Catholics. In Muscular Nationalism, Sikata Banerjee takes a comparative look at India and Ireland and the relationship among gender, violence, and nationalism. Exploring key texts and events from 1914-2004, Banerjee explores how women negotiate “muscular nationalisms” as they seek to be recognized as legitimate nationalists and equal stakeholders in their national struggles. Banerjee argues that the gendered manner in which dominant nationalism has been imagined in most states in the world has had important implications for women’s lived experiences. Drawing on a specific intersection of gender and nationalism, she discusses the manner in which women negotiate a political and social terrain infused with a masculinized dream of nation-building. India and Ireland—two states shaped by the legacy of British imperialism and forced to deal with modern political/social conflict centering on competing nationalisms—provide two provocative case studies that illuminate the complex interaction between gender and nation.
Full Product Details
Author: Sikata Banerjee ,
Ruth Colker
Publisher: New York University Press
Imprint: New York University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.30cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.476kg
ISBN: 9780814789766
ISBN 10: 0814789765
Pages: 217
Publication Date: 30 April 2012
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
<p> Ruth Colker's Hybrid is an ambitious study of the U.S. legal system and the binary lens through which it determines justice. U.S. Courts, according to Colker, not only neglect to address the reality of bisexuals, multiracials, transgenderists, and many people with disabilities, but also fail to acknowldedge the varied ways that race, sex and ability are constructed in U.S. society. She offers a critique of the U.S. legal system and suggests strategies for working with these issues in the future. - Committee on Lesbian and Gay History Newsletter ,
"""Muscular Nationalism is so gritty and smart. Sikata Banerjee reveals how in both Ireland and India a nationalized masculinism has relied on controlling ideas and practices of femininity. This is feminist analysis at its sharpest."" -- Cynthia Enloe,author of Nimo's War, Emma's War: Making Feminist Sense of the Iraq War"
Author Information
Sikata Banerjee is Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of Victoria, Canada and author of Warriors in Politics: Hinduism, Nationalism, Violence, and the Shiv Sena in India and Make Me a Man! Masculinity, Hinduism, and Nationalism in India.
