Action, Weapons, Authority
Masculinity and Militarity in the Brazilian Armed Forces
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21530/ci.v21n2.2026.1627Keywords:
Feminist Security Studies, Interviews, Masculinity, Armed Forces, BrazilAbstract
Feminist security studies have explored how professions involved in the exercise of the
state’s legitimate use of violence, such as the police and the armed forces, are associated
with characteristics traditionally coded as masculine. Building on this literature, which has
focused primarily on militaries in the Global North, this article examines how militariness
and masculinity are intertwined in the discourse of Brazilian military personnel, drawing
on interviews with 40 blue helmets who served in the United Nations mission in Haiti.
How do military personnel explain their decision to pursue a military career? Through a
thematic analysis of forty interviews and participant observation at the Brazilian military
base in Port-au-Prince, the article approaches the army as a site for the learning and
construction of masculinity.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Izadora Xavier do Monte
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