Settler Military Politics

Federica Caso is Lecturer in International Relations at La Trobe University. Her research interrogates gender and racial diversity in the military, war, and peacebuilding. She was awarded the 2020 the Thelma Hunter Gardner Prize for best PhD thesis in Gender and Politics by the Australian Political Studies Association. Her research has been published in International Political Sociology, Australian Journal of Political Science, Australian Journal of History and Politics, and Critical Military Studies.

• Introduction: Settler Colonial ManoeuvresSettler MilitarisationThe Settler Politics of War CommemorationCrafting the Anzac Soldier as National HeroThe Militarisation of WomenIndigenous Militarised RecognitionConclusion: Settler Military PoliticsBibliography

Federica Caso's dig into contests over portrayals of Australian militarized masculinities reminds me how potent the politics of war memories continue to be - everywhere. Today, when Anzac is so salient in globalized Pacific politics, we need to learn from Caso never to lose track of women's and Indigenous politics of war memorialization when we shine bright lights on racialized masculinities.