2023.Dec.13

REPORTS

Report on the 4th BAIRAL Research Meeting for 2023
“A Shift of Hegemonic Masculinity in the Postmodern Military”

The 4th BAIRAL research meeting for 2023 was held on November 22, 2023. This time, we invited Remi Kodamaya (PhD Student, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Hitotsubashi University), who has been conducting sociological research on the relationship between the military and masculinity in postwar Japanese society, to speak on the theme of “A Shift of Hegemonic Masculinity in the Postmodern Military.”

Under the concept of “hegemonic masculinity” proposed by R. W. Connell, it is said that while there is a hierarchy of femininity and masculinity, masculinity is diverse, and its hierarchy is fluid. Given this, how are the gender relations assumed in the modern nation-state, in which men are driven to battle as soldiers and women are protected, organized in the “post-modern military” after the end of the Cold War?

Based on previous studies in the English-speaking world, Kodamaya explains as follows. In the “postmodern military,” the distinction between soldiers and civilians has become blurred, and private organizations have joined the military. In addition, non-combat missions such as humanitarian aid increased, and military intervention in other countries was permitted under the “responsibility to protect.” The shift to a military volunteer system, on the other hand, has made the public indifferent to the military, which now aims to include diversity, such as women soldiers and sexual minorities, in order to secure military personnel.

These changes have created a need for skills in the military that are different from the “feminine/masculine” skills of the past. For example, a high level of cross-cultural understanding and empathy, which were previously considered “feminine” skills, are now required. In addition, the presence of “scholarly soldiers,” such as those involved in policy-making, has increased, and their “sensitive” masculinity has been valued. Moreover, the transnational activities of private military security companies (PMSCs) have masculinized the business elites who use their services, creating a homosocial, mutually beneficial relationship, while “feminizing” the people of developing countries as powerless, thus complicating the dichotomy of “men to protect” and “women to be protected.”

Furthermore, it was noted that technological developments have altered masculinity. While the “scholarly soldiers” are valued for their technologically advanced warfighting abilities, drone operators are sometimes derided as immature and “feminine” without a frontline presence.

Despite these changes in masculinity, Kodamaya states that a racialized/gendered hierarchy still persists. For example, soldiers have been violent toward local residents, sometimes seeking sexual relations with them. There is also a reconstructed dichotomy between white American men as the embodiment of “tough and compassionate” masculinity and terrorists and their “soil,” Afghan men, as the embodiment of “barbaric and retarded” masculinity. Gender relations of “protector/protected” are becoming more complex, and the transformation of “hegemonic masculinity” remains controversial.

In the plenary discussion, the multilayered nature of this “hegemonic masculinity” was further explored. The masculinity of the Self-Defense Forces in Japan without private military security companies was discussed, and the question was raised as to how valid the concept of “postmodern military” itself is, given that what is considered to be a characteristic of post-modern military, such as an emphasis on intelligence, is also found in earlier periods. Other topics discussed included the trend toward greater emphasis on family care in the military and the influence of popular culture in connecting the public to the military. In general, Kodamaya’s presentation and the discussions that followed were very illuminating in examining the multifaceted nature of race and gender relations in the military.