ABSTRACT
The connections between war, territorial homeland, national sentiments, statehood, and masculinity are well established, especially for frontier societies. 1 Each nation 2 believes that it has a clear idea where its territorial homeland lies, will often strive for autonomy or sovereignty there, and will go to war when another nation or state controls it, or when unsatisfied with the resolution of a territorial dispute. The sons of the nation fight, and sometimes die, to free or defend the homeland, and as their blood is shed the connection to the territorial homeland becomes sacralized. Under the continued challenging of national boundaries, societies become militarized, affecting the priorities set by political institutions. As long as there continues to be a real or imagined threat to the national homeland, and as long as defense and security remain the highest priority, the national narrative of survival is regularly updated and helps justify high military spending in place of social investments in health, education, and economic growth. In these militarized societies, moreover, the connection between the nation and its men is clearly defined.
