Dying To Serve: Militarism, Affect, And The Politics Of Sacrifice In The Pakistan Army (south Asia In Motion)

The Pakistan Army is a uniquely powerful and influential institution, with vast landholdings and resources. It has deep roots in the colonial armed forces and relies heavily on certain regions to supply its soldiers, especially parts of rural Punjab, where men have served in the army for generations. These men, their wives and mothers, and the military culture surrounding them are the focus of Maria Rashid's Dying to Serve , which innovatively and sensitively addresses the question: how does the military thrive when so much of its work results in injury, debility, and death? Taking ritual commemorations of fallen soldiers as one critical site of study, Rashid argues that these "spectacles of mourning" are careful manipulations of affect, gendered and structured by the military to reinforce its omnipotence in the lives of its subjects. Grounding her study in the famed martial district of Chakwal, Rashid finds affect similarly deployed in recruitment and training practices, as well as management of death and compensation to families. She contends that understanding these affective technologies is crucial to challenging the appeal of the military institution globally. "State armies around the world commemorate their fallen soldiers through ceremonies of remembrance and ritual memory-making. But these "spectacles of mourning" are careful manipulations of affect, gendered and structured by the military to both acknowledge lives lost and reinforce its own omnipotence in the lives of its subjects. In Disciplining Narratives of Pain, Maria Rashid examines such practices in the Pakistani army in order to explore the state of modern militarism. She makes the case that the continued thriving of the Pakistani military apparatus is contingent upon its successful repurposing of emotion. Grounding her study in the famed martial district of Chakwal, she draws on ethnographic accounts to show how historical recruitment practices of the colonial army forged lasting cultural narratives about the military's claim on the bodies of its would-be soldiers. Rashid brings the reader through various, mundane facets of the soldier's life (and that of his family), including training, compensatory policies after a family's loss, and military funerals. The emotions of the widows and mothers of dead soldiers are mediated and leveraged to further establish the debt of sacrifice owed by citizens to the Pakistani army. Laying bare this strategy in its lived complexities, Rashid contends, is crucial to understanding and challenging theappeal of the military institution globally"-- Provided by publisher. "State armies around the world commemorate their fallen soldiers through ceremonies of remembrance and ritual memory-making. But these "spectacles of mourning" are careful manipulations of affect, gendered and structured by the military to both acknowledge lives lost and reinforce its own omnipotence in the lives of its subjects. In Disciplining Narratives of Pain, Maria Rashid examines such practices in the Pakistani army in order to explore the state of modern militarism. She makes the case that the continued thriving of the Pakistani military apparatus is contingent upon its successful repurposing of emotion. Grounding her study in the famed martial district of Chakwal, she draws on ethnographic accounts to show how historical recruitment practices of the colonial army forged lasting cultural narratives about the military's claim on the bodies of its would-be soldiers. Rashid brings the reader through various, mundane facets of the soldier's life (and that of his family), including training, compensatory policies after a family's loss, and military funerals. The emotions of the widows and mothers of dead soldiers are mediated and leveraged to further establish the debt of sacrifice owed by citizens to the Pakistani army. Laying bare this strategy in its lived complexities, Rashid contends, is crucial to understanding and challenging the appeal of the military institution globally"-- Provided by publisher The Pakistan Army is a uniquely powerful and influential institution, with vast landholdings and resources. It has deep roots in the colonial armed forces and relies heavily on certain regions to supply its soldiers, especially parts of rural Punjab, where men have served in the army for generations. These men, their wives and mothers, and the military culture surrounding them are the focus of Maria Rashid's __Dying to Serve__, which innovatively and sensitively addresses the question: how does the military thrive when so much of its work results in injury, debility, and death? Taking ritual commemorations of fallen soldiers as one critical site of study, Rashid argues that these "spectacles of mourning" are careful manipulations of affect, gendered and structured by the military to reinforce its omnipotence in the lives of its subjects. Grounding her study in the famed martial district of Chakwal, Rashid finds affect similarly deployed in recruitment and training practices, as well as management of death and compensation to families. She contends that understanding these affective technologies is crucial to challenging the appeal of the military institution globally. The Pakistan Army is a uniquely powerful and influential institution, with vast landholdings and resources. It has deep roots in the colonial armed forces and relies heavily on certain regions to supply its soldiers, especially parts of rural Punjab, where men have served in the army for generations. These men, their families, and the military culture surrounding them, are the focus of Maria Rashid's Dying to Serve , which innovatively and sensitively addresses the question: how does the military thrive when so much of its work resultsin injury, debility, and death? Taking ritual commemorations of fallen soldiers as one critical site of study, Rashid argues that these "spectacles of mourning" are careful manipulations of affect, gendered and structured by the military to reinforce its omnipotence in the lives of its subjects. Grounding her study in the famed martial district of Chakwal, Rashid finds affect similarly deployed in recruitment and training practices, as well as management of death and compensation to families. She contends that understanding these affective technologies is crucial to challenging the appeal of the military institution globally. Cover Contents Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations 1 Technology of Rule 2 A Calculated Dose of Grief 3 The Land of the Valiant 4 Manufacturing Soldiers 5 Grief and Its Aftermath 6 The Value of Loss 7 The Bodies Left Behind 8 Pro Patria Mori 9 A Post-Military World? Notes Glossary Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z Dying to Serve is a study of the affective relationships at the heart of war and violence.