Discursive Construction of Gendered Nationalism in Armed Conflict of Pakistan and India: A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

Idealized masculine discourse is often used to define nationalism. ‘Rescue of
women’ and the motherland by the state and military legitimize the gendered
power within contemporary discourse. This study employed a feminist critical
discourse analysis perspective to reveal gendered ideologies in the discourse
surrounding the Pakistan-India armed conflict in May 2025. It examined four
special briefing documents released on May 8-9, 2025, bythe Ministry of External
Affairs, Government of India, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government
of Pakistan. Using the qualitative research method, the study applied Lazar’s
Feminist CDA to analyse power, ideology, representation, and silence in these
documents. Braun & Clark’s thematic analysis helped identify themes of
militarized masculinity and silencing, reinforcing gendered nationalism exercised
by both nations. The findings demonstrate that states strategically construct
national identity through gendered discourse. This research is significant for
highlighting the powerful feminist discourse embedded in the geopolitical context
of South Asia, which often propagates military conflicts through nationalist,
gendered, and strategic narratives. It adds to existing feminist scholarship by
showing how representational strategies influence public perceptions of war. The
study also offers new insight for rethinking national identity, especially in South
Asia, amid social, political, and military tensions.