The second lesson you
will learn is more difficult to discuss but provides clear connections between
the pervasive dismissal of sexual assault accusations in the military and
society. Goldstein specifically brought up the various sexual interactions that
happen during war-time, some consensual and others not (2001). In civilian
society, sexual assault and harassment are not discussed with the openness,
trust, and support which are inherent to the dialogue of other subject areas.
The veil around the military can be even worse.
An argument that you
will hear people bring up against feminism’s focus on sexual assault against
women is that men are sexually assaulted as well, so why aren’t feminists
focusing their attention on men. You will learn two responses. First, noting
the context sexual assault against men is happening in, typically being
prisons, or as we have learned, the military, is important in framing the
response. Further, it is significant to add that most often it is men also,
perpetuating the assault. Second, is that feminists aim to end rape culture
through challenging the patriarchy which would be beneficial to all members of
society.
In Zarkov’s article, this
topic is relevant in highlighting the other reasons for rape to exist in war
(2011). It is a form of domination over an ethnic group, and/or a way to
humiliate the ‘losing’ people. These are realities of war-time. In second year
college you will write a paper about the comfort women Japan institutionalized
during the Second World War, where you will come across the notions that war-time
rape was an “inevitable concomitant of battle” or a “spoil of war”. It is not a new concept or a revolutionary
idea that rape and sexual assault is imbedded into the very nature of war but
yet, still difficult to discuss. Thus feminism. Feminism needs to be a part of
war-time analysis not only because we need more women in the military or that
women are affected by war zones in a way distinct to men, but because feminism
will bring light to the toxic culture that permits rampant sexual assault in and
by the military. Feminism offers guidance to reframing war discourse and in
turn, society. Back to my original observation, feminism should not be distinct
from war discourse, people who study war and military should not be adverse to
such an approach. To even further circle this back, to allow people to better
engage with feminist war discourse, which is the process of applying a feminist
lens to the way society engages and understand war, people need to be
socialized and educated to not feel threatened by feminism and recognize the
validity feminism research brings to academia.
Tomorrow: Lesson Three - How does war imbed
dichotomies?
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