A Murderous Plague: State Hypermasculinity, covid-19, and Atrocity Prevention in the Philippines

Maria Tanyag*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    6 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    When and why do state responses to crises such as the covid-19 pandemic embody hypermasculinity? How does state hypermasculinity contribute to mortality during a pandemic? This article examines state hypermasculinity as a main atrocity risk factor and as a root cause of preventable deaths arising from failures in pandemic response. It focuses on the case of the Philippines under the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte to build on feminist scholarship examining gender, crises, and the rise of 'strongman' leaders globally. It argues that a state's predisposition for violence and atrocity crimes renders disease outbreaks more deadly. Significant loss of life and livelihoods during the pandemic are logical outcomes of state structures and responses that combine militarised security, paternalism, and domination of feminised 'others'. Crucially, the implications of state hypermasculinity extend beyond pandemics as it is clearly emerging as a vector for compounded human insecurities at a time of multiple and overlapping crises.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)432-461
    Number of pages30
    JournalGlobal Responsibility to Protect
    Volume14
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2 Aug 2022

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'A Murderous Plague: State Hypermasculinity, covid-19, and Atrocity Prevention in the Philippines'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this