Gender Ironies of Nationalism: Sexing the Nation - Softcover

'Mayer, in her thought-provoking and well organized introduction, sets the tone for the volume as she argues that nation, gender and sexuality are all social constructions, and are profoundly embedded in each other.' - Cultural Geographies

'This volume is a useful addition to understanding the intersection between nationalism, state, gender and sexuality in the context of specific national environments ... an important contribution and useful addition to the field of gender studies in nationalism.' - Zlatko Skrbis, University of Queensland

This book provides a unique social science reading on the construction of nation, gender and sexuality and on the interactions among them. It includes international case studies from Indonesia, Ireland, former Yugoslavia, Liberia, Sri Lanka, Australia, the USA, Turkey, China, India and the Caribbean.
The contributors offer both the masculine and feminine perspective, exposing how nations are comprised of sexed bodies, and exploring the gender ironies of nationalism and how sexuality plays a key role in nation building and in sustaining national identity.
The contributors conclude that control over access to the benefits of belonging to the nation is invariably gendered; nationalism becomes the language through which sexual control and repression is justified masculine prowess is expressed and exercised. Whilst it is men who claim the prerogatives of nation and nation building it is, for the most part, women who actually accept the obligation of nation and nation building.