Enchanted by the AK-47: Contingency of body and the weapon among Hezbollah militants
The constant presence of various forms and makes of firearm has turned it into an everyday item among some Lebanese. For Hezbollah militants, the AK-47 is an object of humour and fun despite its lethal potential. The weapon is saturated with representative qualities - both material and semiotic, so...
| Published in: | Journal of material culture |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage Publ.
[2018]
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| In: |
Journal of material culture
Year: 2018, Volume: 23, Issue: 1, Pages: 83-99 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Ḥizb Allāh
/ AK-47 rifle
/ Materiality
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| RelBib Classification: | AG Religious life; material religion BJ Islam KBL Near East and North Africa |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | The constant presence of various forms and makes of firearm has turned it into an everyday item among some Lebanese. For Hezbollah militants, the AK-47 is an object of humour and fun despite its lethal potential. The weapon is saturated with representative qualities - both material and semiotic, so the author explores its materiality as a crucial nodal point from which to sketch the difficult terrain of subject-object relationship in the life of Lebanese Shi’i Hezbollah militants. He seeks to identify the material culture of a weapon that consolidates myths, reifies identities, stages propaganda and advertises threats. With this in view, the author follows the AK-47 to explore its ‘enchanting’ qualities and speak of the relationship it forms with a militant’s body. He locates the body of militants between three questions: what does the AK-47 signify, how does it arrive at that signification, and finally, how have its materiality and dynamic physicality made it the weapon of choice? |
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| ISSN: | 1460-3586 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of material culture
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/1359183517725099 |