Warriors and fathers: war, visual culture and the complexities of constructing masculinities after the end of Sri Lanka's civil war. Issue 3 (2nd July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Schubert, Andi
• Is Part Of: Norma. Volume 11:Issue 3(2016)
• Page Start: 139
• Page End: 157
• Publication Date: 2016-07-02
• Subjects: Sri Lanka -- post-war -- masculinities -- 2010 presidential election -- visual culture -- democracy; Men's studies -- Scandinavia -- Periodicals; Men's studies -- Periodicals; Masculinity -- Research -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 305.31
• DOI: 10.1080/18902138.2016.1217691
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1890-2138

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper extends the growing conversation on the complexities of constructing and deploying often competing forms of masculinity to consolidate political power in the aftermath of conflict. The campaigns of the two main candidates at Sri Lanka's 2010 presidential election, the country's first national election since the end of a 26-year-long civil war in 2009, foregrounded contrasting but overlapping styles of masculinity. Whereas incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa's campaign positioned him as a protective father figure, the campaign of his former army commander, Sarath Fonseka, portrayed the General as a warrior and war hero. Focusing on key campaign billboards and posters, I argue that both candidates premise their respective constructions of masculinity on their role in defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. This shared premise marks a point of affirmation and denial, and as a result, the construction of their masculinities is marked by both overlap and contradiction. Therefore, this paper argues that these apparently competing forms of masculinity are in fact complimentary and embedded in the hetero-patriarchal logic of post-war nationalism in Sri Lanka.