When war disrupts gender
Résumé
Europe has experienced three wars on a continental scale since the French Revolution, along with numerous other conflicts. Far from being immutable, the role of women and men in war has changed. Initially a national masculinity was constructed, one that was virile and warlike, and that excluded women from combat. Women were all the same mobilized by their countries to support “their” men, take part in the war effort, and give birth to and raise the combatants of future generations. Like all civilians, they became military targets, and as women they were also the target of sexual violence. Women also came close to combat, integrated military or auxiliary formations, and engaged in movements of struggle and resistance. The military-virile model was weakened by colonial wars, the increasing sophistication of weaponry, and the absence of conflicts on the soil of most European countries. Military service was eliminated by most European countries at the same time as the professionalization and feminization of the military grew.