Female Body, Rape, War: Sexual Subjugation of Women as a Symbol of Hegemony and Political-National “Othering” in the Genocide of Bosnia
The aim of this research is to focus on rape used as a “tool” of war, a theme connected to the representation of the female body as a transfiguration of a symbolic “crossing” by an oppressor group over an oppressed group. In particular, in this essay, whose topic focuses on mass rape in the Bosnian...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Università di Napoli Federico II
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Fuori Luogo |
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| Online Access: | http://www.serena.unina.it/index.php/fuoriluogo/article/view/8665 |
| _version_ | 1797687252345683968 |
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| author | Laura Sugamele |
| author_facet | Laura Sugamele |
| author_sort | Laura Sugamele |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
The aim of this research is to focus on rape used as a “tool” of war, a theme connected to the representation of the female body as a transfiguration of a symbolic “crossing” by an oppressor group over an oppressed group. In particular, in this essay, whose topic focuses on mass rape in the Bosnian-Serb conflict, it will be relevant to reflect on the connection between female body and national representation, in order to understand the intrinsic aspects of rape which refer to the intentional act of causing a radical social-sexual denigration. In this way, the sexual violence against Bosnian women, carried out by Serbian nationalists became the founding premise of a total political hegemony, which, by sexually destroying the female body, defined its own national superiority. Thus, in the Bosnian-Serb conflict, the political meaning of the female “body” is highlighted as a paradigm of a binary logic of sexual difference, an aspect that has its strength in the sexual component; in these perspective, sexual violence agianst women, structures a society on new reproductive-procreative bases. From this point of view, the denigration of the female body in sexual terms, has the main aim of destroying a group considered to be an enemy. In this sense, war is characterised by a “feminised” and “sexualised” representation of women’s bodies, the image of which, within a context that is not only national, but also masculine and patriarchal, is firmly anchored on a dichotomous hierarchy and on a cultural construction of female subalternity.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T01:15:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-588fb331bf094a33a36451b4a027df5b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2532-750X 2723-9608 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T01:15:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Università di Napoli Federico II |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fuori Luogo |
| spelling | doaj.art-588fb331bf094a33a36451b4a027df5b2023-09-13T12:12:26ZengUniversità di Napoli Federico IIFuori Luogo2532-750X2723-96082022-09-0111110.6093/2723-9608/8665Female Body, Rape, War: Sexual Subjugation of Women as a Symbol of Hegemony and Political-National “Othering” in the Genocide of BosniaLaura Sugamele The aim of this research is to focus on rape used as a “tool” of war, a theme connected to the representation of the female body as a transfiguration of a symbolic “crossing” by an oppressor group over an oppressed group. In particular, in this essay, whose topic focuses on mass rape in the Bosnian-Serb conflict, it will be relevant to reflect on the connection between female body and national representation, in order to understand the intrinsic aspects of rape which refer to the intentional act of causing a radical social-sexual denigration. In this way, the sexual violence against Bosnian women, carried out by Serbian nationalists became the founding premise of a total political hegemony, which, by sexually destroying the female body, defined its own national superiority. Thus, in the Bosnian-Serb conflict, the political meaning of the female “body” is highlighted as a paradigm of a binary logic of sexual difference, an aspect that has its strength in the sexual component; in these perspective, sexual violence agianst women, structures a society on new reproductive-procreative bases. From this point of view, the denigration of the female body in sexual terms, has the main aim of destroying a group considered to be an enemy. In this sense, war is characterised by a “feminised” and “sexualised” representation of women’s bodies, the image of which, within a context that is not only national, but also masculine and patriarchal, is firmly anchored on a dichotomous hierarchy and on a cultural construction of female subalternity. http://www.serena.unina.it/index.php/fuoriluogo/article/view/8665female bodyrapesexual subordinationnationalism |
| spellingShingle | Laura Sugamele Female Body, Rape, War: Sexual Subjugation of Women as a Symbol of Hegemony and Political-National “Othering” in the Genocide of Bosnia Fuori Luogo female body rape sexual subordination nationalism |
| title | Female Body, Rape, War: Sexual Subjugation of Women as a Symbol of Hegemony and Political-National “Othering” in the Genocide of Bosnia |
| title_full | Female Body, Rape, War: Sexual Subjugation of Women as a Symbol of Hegemony and Political-National “Othering” in the Genocide of Bosnia |
| title_fullStr | Female Body, Rape, War: Sexual Subjugation of Women as a Symbol of Hegemony and Political-National “Othering” in the Genocide of Bosnia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Female Body, Rape, War: Sexual Subjugation of Women as a Symbol of Hegemony and Political-National “Othering” in the Genocide of Bosnia |
| title_short | Female Body, Rape, War: Sexual Subjugation of Women as a Symbol of Hegemony and Political-National “Othering” in the Genocide of Bosnia |
| title_sort | female body rape war sexual subjugation of women as a symbol of hegemony and political national othering in the genocide of bosnia |
| topic | female body rape sexual subordination nationalism |
| url | http://www.serena.unina.it/index.php/fuoriluogo/article/view/8665 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT laurasugamele femalebodyrapewarsexualsubjugationofwomenasasymbolofhegemonyandpoliticalnationalotheringinthegenocideofbosnia |