Muscular Nationalism

A particular dark triumph of modern nationalism has been itsability to persuade citizens to sacrifice their lives for a political visionforged by emotional ties to a common identity. Both men and women can respond to nationalistic calls to fight thatportray muscular warriors defending their nation against an easily recognizableenemy. This "us versus them" mentality can be seen in sectarian violencebetween Hindus and Muslims, Tamils and Sinhalas, Serbs and Kosovars, andProtestants and Catholics. In MuscularNationalism, Sikata Banerjee takes a comparative look at Indiaand Ireland andthe relationship among gender, violence, and nationalism. Exploring key textsand events from 1914-2004, Banerjee explores how women negotiate "muscularnationalisms" as they seek to be recognized as legitimate nationalists andequal stakeholders in their national struggles. Banerjee argues that the gendered manner in which dominantnationalism has been imagined in most states in the world has had importantimplications for women's lived experiences. Drawing on a specific intersection of gender and nationalism, shediscusses the manner in which women negotiate a political and social terraininfused with a masculinized dream of nation-building. India and Ireland—two states shaped by thelegacy of British imperialism and forced to deal with modern political/socialconflict centering on competing nationalisms—provide two provocative casestudies that illuminate the complex interaction between gender and nation.