Strong Men, Strong States?

Wars and geopolitical tensions leave their mark, not only on foreign policy but also at the heart of society: in gender roles, body norms, and the question of what it means to be a man.

Feminist research shows that militarization and patriarchal gender structures often go hand in hand. “Strength,” “self-sacrifice,” and national loyalty—these attributes are particularly strongly emphasized in men during times of crisis. At the same time, we are currently witnessing a resurgence of reactionary gender stereotypes, ranging from “tradwife” trends to anti-feminist online movements.

What is often perceived in Germany as a gradual change manifests itself elsewhere in a more heightened form, thereby revealing mechanisms that are more easily overlooked here.

Looking to Asia is not a detour. It is a shortcut. Here, where the connections between militarization, state power, and norms of masculinity are particularly evident, they can also be analyzed more closely. In South Korea, mandatory military service shapes men’s life trajectories while simultaneously fueling anti-feminist mobilizations.  In Myanmar, the example of the People’s Defense Force illustrates how LGBTQI+ individuals there develop and shape their own conceptions of masculinity.

Germany is not a neutral observer: As the world’s fourth-largest weapons exporter and amid growing debates about rearmament and military service, pressing questions arise here as well regarding the gender stereotypes that shape these debates.

At this joint event organized by the Asia Department and the Gunda Werner Institute of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, we ask: How do states instrumentalize ideals of masculinity? What alternatives are imaginable? And what can feminist movements in Germany and Asia learn from one another?

Following the panel discussion (around 7:50 p.m.), we will open the exhibition MACHT https://macht.photo/news/. The photographic work by Birte Zellentin https://birtezellentin.de/ and Patrik Budenz https://grauwerk.de/ visualizes political power. Portraits of political decision-makers from Asia overlap, revealing structures, historical continuity, and the dominance of male leadership. This also highlights the invisibility of women’s exercise of power. The artists will be present and will guide visitors through their exhibition.

With:

• Taehwan Kim, Feminism for Him
• Aung Zaw Myo, Independent (gender/queer) researcher
• Dag Schölper, (BFM) Federal Forum for Men
• Ilse Lenz, Sociologist specializing in Germany and East Asia

Host: Cuso Ehrich, korientation e. V

Key contacts:

Mia Kruska, Asia department
E Mia.Kruska@BOELL.DE

Sandra Ho, Gunda-Werner-Institute
E sandra.ho@boell.de