Each year, the DePaul University Library celebrates the research of first-year students through the Library Research Prize. This year, we congratulate our winner Olivia Hanif on the essay “Toxic Strength: The Hidden Cost of Militarized Masculinities.”
The Library Research Prize is awarded to a First-Year Writing student whose researched essay demonstrates excellence in the application of information literacy skills, including expertise in the discovery, evaluation, and use of information tools and resources. In addition to the essays, the student also submits a research statement that reflects on the use of library research tools, sources, and services at each stage of the research process. This year’s essay used a variety of research tools to address the question “How do militarized masculinities contribute to the outbreak and persistence of violence?” with a focus on the Global South.
Olivia’s essay was written for Tricia Hermes’ WRD 104 course and incorporated personal experiences with the topic, such as reading the book I Am Malala in fifth grade and growing in awareness of the types of violence perpetrated against women. The essay goes on to discuss examples of the effects of militarized masculinities using sources evaluated for potential bias and geopolitical context, such as Lesley Gill’s article “Creating Citizens, Making Men: The Military and Masculinity in Bolivia”:
In Bolivia, many women initially support the militarization of men, believing it instills discipline and reinforces their roles as protectors, ensuring women’s safety (Gill 543). However, in practice, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, military training fosters misogynistic attitudes through hyper-masculine training, leading to an increase in violence against women. Patterns of domestic abuse among men who served proves this. El Alto, a city home to two military bases, had 53% of their reported incidents entail some sort of domestic abuse from a male companion or spouse with a military background (Gill 544).
After comparing the military cultures in Bolivia and Zimbabwe, Olivia’s essay posits demilitarization as a solution for change:
No version of the military, as it currently exists, can truly align with feminist principles. However, demilitarization goes beyond shaping the military, but social, economic, and political sectors as well. This can be seen as reforming educational programs, military training tactics, labor market policies, and peace movements all to promote diverse and inclusive forms of masculinity (Eichler 89).
Olivia describes an iterative search process that began with the keywords “militarized masculinities, “military culture and masculinity,” and “gendered violence in the military,” and progressed to include phrases such as “non-western conscription and masculinity,” and “African military violence.” The essay references articles from a diverse range of peer-reviewed journals, including Brown Journal of World Affairs, Cultural Anthropology, and Forum of Linguistic Studies. Upon reflecting, Olivia points out that research is a process of “actively engaging with scholarship, challenging assumptions, and drawing connections between different fields of study.” By incorporating theoretical concepts with concrete examples from credible sources, Olivia’s essay makes the case for dismantling the social, political, and economic structures that promote militarized masculinities.
Congratulations to Olivia for this well-researched essay!
The Library Research Prize is just one of the awards given to recognize excellent undergraduate work at the First-Year Writing Showcase. Honorees, joined by their professors, family members, and friends, were celebrated at an in-person reception on May 20 in Cortelyou Commons. Many thanks to the faculty and staff of DePaul University’s First-Year Writing Program and Victoria Hohenzy, Assistant Director of First-Year Writing; our Library Research Prize coordinator, Firouzeh Rismiller; the Library Research Prize judges, Firouzeh Rismiller, Kaiya Schroeder, and Grace Spiewak; and all library staff who teach and support our students and faculty in WRD 104 and HON 100. Your contributions make this collaboration with our First-Year Writing colleagues a success!
If you would like to learn more about the Library Research Prize for First-Year Writing or the library’s instructional program for first-year students, please contact Firouzeh Rismiller, Instructional Services Librarian.
Mr. Alonzi is so proud of what you are doing! Keep up the great work and know your former teachers are cheering you on!!!!