Seminar | Masculinities in debate

Masculinity in the Brazilian Armed Forces: perceptions of the concept of combatant ensuing from women joining the military 

Claudia Sousa Antunes (Universidade da Força Aérea - UNIFA)

October 9, 2023, 15h00

Room 1, CES | Alta

Comments. Teresa Almeida Cravo (FEUC/CES)


Overview

The aim of this research is to reflect on the concept of "combatant" as a result of the entry of women into combat positions and the possible impacts of this entry on the construction of military identity. It is based on the assumption that the Armed Forces are a gendered institution and that masculinity is a central element in its constitution. With a focus on the context of the Brazilian Air Force, the aim is to point out some of the ways in which the issue of femininity/masculinity is addressed in the discourses studied. This study is part of a wider project with Brazilian Air Force officers on how the new demands manifested in the 21st century impact specific professional bases, such as military institutions.


Bio note

Claudia Sousa Antunes holds a PhD in Vernacular Literature from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. She is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Postgraduate Programme in Aerospace Sciences at the Air Force University (UNIFA), a researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Aerospace Sciences (NEICA/UNIFA), the Interdisciplinary Discourse Analysis Circle (CIAD-RIO/UFRJ) and a member of the Strategic Autonomy, Technology and Defence Research Network (PAET&D). She works on the following subjects: Discourse Analysis, Identity, Military Ethos, Peace Operations, Military Culture and Gender Studies.