Alternative Dominant Masculinity: An Intersectional Observation of the Combat Soldier

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine the construction of different masculinities through the intersection of gender, ethnicity, and cultural context. The paper will show that this intersection occurs through a process of “reciprocal ethnicization” between ethnicity as a social category and the surrounding ethnic culture. Ethnicity influences the construction of an ethnic cultural context, which subsequently influences the construction of ethno-masculine identities. In this way, there is a mutual influence of ethnicity on the cultural context and vice versa. The study is based on an examination of the military, which is a central organization for the construction of masculine identities; and it will focus specifically on combat soldiers, who constitute the most significant model of idealized masculinity. I argue that in order to construct the combat soldier, infantry brigades create various images of the combat soldier as a result of the different ethno-cultures of each brigade.