Gendered Frontlines: British Press Coverage of Servicewomen Killed in Iraq

Ette, Mercy (2013) Gendered Frontlines: British Press Coverage of Servicewomen Killed in Iraq. Media, War & Conflict, 6 (3). pp. 249-262. ISSN 1750-6352

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Abstract

The press plays a crucial role in image formation and information provision about female soldiers who die on battlefields. This article demonstrates how the UK press coverage of the death of four British service women stripped them of their identity as soldiers and minimised their accomplishments and level of military participation. It analyses how media discourse of war and military practices converged to reinforce cultural assumptions of war. The article argues that the nuanced coverage of the four women who died in Iraq within one year was a result of gendered mediation, which accentuated the femininity and masculinity dichotomy associated with the military; and underscored the gendered nature of war. The study shows that the gendering of the death of the women reinforced the entrenched marginalisation of women in war narratives.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Schools:	School of Music, Humanities and Media
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
Depositing User:	Sharon Beastall
Date Deposited:	26 Mar 2013 10:00
Last Modified:	30 Nov 2016 19:43
URI:	http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/17021

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