The Gendered and Colonial Lives of Gurkhas in Private Security - (Advances in Critical Military Studies) by Amanda Chisholm (Paperback)

About the Book

Explores the ways in which affect, colonial histories, and militarism organise global South security workforces within private military and security companies

Book Synopsis

This book explores the ways in which affect, colonial histories, and militarism organise global security workforces within private military and security companies(PMSCs). It locates its analysis with Gurkhas; a group of militarised men from Nepal with over 200-years of military experience with the British and Indian armies and the Singaporean police, who now participate as security contractors in global markets. These men are celebrated in British popular culture for their heroic martial attributes and their broader military service to the United Kingdom. However, less known, is the fact that many Gurkhas located back in Nepal and their families are drawn into these markets under often exploitative relations. Drawing upon over a decade of ethnographic fieldwork with unprecedented access to these security communities throughout Nepal and in Afghanistan, the book's motivating questions are how security is made through these market relations and how is this security experienced by Gurkhas and their families.

From the Back Cover

Explores the ways in which affect, colonial histories and militarism organise global security workforces within private military and security companies This book locates its analysis with Gurkhas: a group of militarised men from Nepal with over 200-years of military experience with the British and Indian armies and the Singaporean police, who now participate as security contractors in global markets. These men are celebrated in British popular culture for their heroic martial attributes and their broader military service to the United Kingdom. However, less well known, is the fact that many Gurkhas (located in Nepal) and their families are drawn into these markets under often exploitative relations. Drawing upon over a decade of ethnographic fieldwork with unprecedented access to these security communities throughout Nepal and in Afghanistan, the book's motivating questions are: how is security made through these market relations and how is this security experienced by Gurkhas and their families? Amanda Chisholm is Senior Lecturer in the School of Security Studies, King's College London.

Review Quotes

This book brings to life the political economy of the global security industry and particularly shines a unique light on the gendered and racialized labor that sustains global war and militarization. A feminist ethnography that transcends the boundaries of security studies toward a new perspective on the links between the everyday and global security politics.

--Saskia Stachowitsch, Central European University

About the Author

Dr Amanda Chisholm is Senior Lecturer in War Studies and Defence Studies at King's College, London. She is also the lead diversity and inclusion representative for the School of Security Studies.