Reinterpreting Combat Masculinity. Dutch peacekeeping in Bosnia and Kosovo

Abstract

Dutch peacekeeping in Bosnia and Kosovo Van oudsher geldt het leger als de organisatie bij uitstek waarin traditionele mannelijke waarden als moed en hardheid worden gecultiveerd. In hoeverre doen deze nog opgeld in het huidige Nederlandse leger, en wat blijkt daarvan in de praktijk? Liora Sion heeft dit onderzocht door middel van intensieve participerende observatie in twee legereenheden die vredesmissies verrichten. Zij stelt vast dat er voor de militairen een spanning bestaat tussen gekoesterde mannelijkheidsidealen van moed, heldhaftigheid en en strijdbaarheid, en een veel minder heroïsche werkelijkheid waarin weinig of geen geweld mag worden gebruikt. Het artikel beschrijft hoe de militairen met deze spanning omgaan. Infantry nco (Non Commissioned Officer) in Bosnia: 'Infantry is the "Tour of Duty", it is walking in the woods with real men, camouflaged, with gear and with…your weapon ready…if you see the enemy you…attack him…rain or no rain it doesn't matter, you must do it. This is infantry, sleeping outside, having a tough time, hardly eating, hardly sleeping and only fight. Yes, fighting-this is the infantry.' Artillery soldier: 'This is a job for real men… someone who is sturdy, who doesn't get scared quickly, and who is ready for action…a clerk can also be a real man… But if he'll try to do our work then he'll be done for in a week.'

Leaving peace for war: An exploratory study of Swiss men’s trajectories toward engagement in Arab conflicts

“…Leone/Parrott (2018) argue that the dominant perspective linking masculinity to crime and aggression is hegemonic masculinity, an ideology that postulates the defence of values associated with manhood in order to ensure men's superiority over non-males. While certainly relevant for the narratives analysed here, I found the concept of combat masculinity, which Sion (2007) identified in her study of Dutch soldiers, to be more fitting. Values associated with combat masculinity that can be formulated based on interviewees' narratives are, for example, men stand up against injustice or men defend and protect their country, their people and men endure the toughness of combat.…”

“…They include legal cynicism (Sampson/Bartusch 1998), Sykes'/Matza's (1957) neutralisation theory, and thrill-seeking behaviour (Ferrell 1999;Katz 1988). Furthermore, ideas related to masculinity (or masculinities), developed by gender studies (Ferber/Kimmel 2008;Gilmore 1990;Kimmel 2003;Sion 2007) can help understand why violent engagement for a cause becomes the right thing to do.…”

Dutch Peacekeepers and Host Environments in the Balkans: An Ethnographic Perspective

“…8 Military masculinity is closely connected with proximity to core combat expertise: the closer soldiers are to combat expertise, the more 'masculine images' they hold. 9 The infantrymen in Bosnia, like the Canadian Airborne Regiment in Somalia, had a 'hyper-investment' in the warrior identity, 10 in comparison to the artillery unit in Kosovo. The infantry felt more disappointed with the tranquillity of the mission than the artillery soldiers, though this difference also had to do with the political situations in Bosnia and Kosovo, as we shall see later.…”