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Violence in the Military and Relations Among Men: Military Masculinities and ‘Rape Prone Cultures’

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The Palgrave International Handbook of Gender and the Military

Abstract

Violence in the military refers to hazing, bastardization, sexual assault and rape – violence by military personnel against other personnel. That violence has a long history and is entangled in military tradition, ritual and formal doctrine. Contemporary militaries face a key challenge posed by social change – organizational diversity. This chapter provides theoretical and empirical evidence for making sense of violence within the military. The notions of male fraternity and military masculinities are employed to explain this phenomenon. Moreover, violence in the military and military culture have become increasingly scrutinized in a historical period where liberal democracy is itself increasingly under scrutiny and resistance. How the military addresses such organizational violence and diversity is a study of the liberal potential of authoritarian institutions.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Blood winging is the tradition of presenting personnel their unit badge by pounding the badge (without clips) into the chest.

  2. 2.

    The Defence Force bargained to keep the opportunity of parole open for what would be 28 years of incarceration, on the proviso Knight did not raise the matter of bastardisation. Twenty-eight years later the state broke its promise.

  3. 3.

    Director, Defence Equity Organisation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia

    Ben Wadham

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  1. Ben Wadham
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Correspondence to Ben Wadham .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography, Politics & Sociology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

    Rachel Woodward

  2. Department of Politics & International Relations, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

    Claire Duncanson

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Wadham, B. (2017). Violence in the Military and Relations Among Men: Military Masculinities and ‘Rape Prone Cultures’. In: Woodward, R., Duncanson, C. (eds) The Palgrave International Handbook of Gender and the Military. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51677-0_15

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