This article offers a close reading and feminist analysis of servicewomen’s narratives of war to illustrate how personal accounts of women combatants who are part of bigger patriarchal military institutions matter for women and gender equality, and how they improve our understanding of the workings of military structures and the power relations within them during war. It is argued that women’s narratives constitute a gendered experience, and take place in a certain context and under particular circumstances; therefore, such narratives can shift the focus from a general nationalist, masculinist story of war to a personal one that flags women’s contributions and expertise, which might have a transformative and long-lasting impact on gender roles at war and contribute to deconstructing gendered binaries.
Read MoreJulia Welland reflects on the liberal warrior and its specific embodiment of masculinity that became the dominant frame of reference for understanding the conflict, and the centrality of this subjectivity engendered particular visibilities.
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