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Ontological insecurity and the gendered postcolonial subject

Kinnvall, Catarina LU and Agius, Christine LU (2025) p.37-48
Abstract

Ontological insecurity dominates the narratives of fear and anxiety that are perpetuated by populist and authoritarian regimes today. In these discourses and imaginings, specific ideas of ‘security’ are desired as a return to order or an imagined or idealized past. In this chapter, we focus on how those narratives regularly rely on gendered and colonial framings that are associated with weakness and disorder. Populist authoritarians then offer solutions to insecurity that demand a style of rule that is often hierarchical, patriarchal, and racially ordered. We illustrate these narratives of ontological insecurity through a focus on postcolonial bordering practices, how gender and emotion feature in discourses of the nation, and the... (More)

Ontological insecurity dominates the narratives of fear and anxiety that are perpetuated by populist and authoritarian regimes today. In these discourses and imaginings, specific ideas of ‘security’ are desired as a return to order or an imagined or idealized past. In this chapter, we focus on how those narratives regularly rely on gendered and colonial framings that are associated with weakness and disorder. Populist authoritarians then offer solutions to insecurity that demand a style of rule that is often hierarchical, patriarchal, and racially ordered. We illustrate these narratives of ontological insecurity through a focus on postcolonial bordering practices, how gender and emotion feature in discourses of the nation, and the perceived sense of loss of national identity and masculinized ideas of strength. Furthermore, we explain how understanding ontological insecurity invokes new methodological frameworks and suggest additional avenues of exploration and adaptation.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Authoritarianism, Gender, Neoliberalism, Ontological security, Populism, Postcolonial
host publication
Handbook on Gender and Security : International Handbooks on Gender - International Handbooks on Gender
pages
12 pages
publisher
Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
external identifiers
  • scopus:105019146604
ISBN
9781803928364
9781803928357
DOI
10.4337/9781803928364.00009
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © The Editors and Contributors Severally 2025.
id
c938d2e8-800f-4c5b-ab23-b6914654069b
date added to LUP
2026-01-19 15:11:28
date last changed
2026-01-19 15:12:45
@inbook{c938d2e8-800f-4c5b-ab23-b6914654069b,
  abstract     = {{<p>Ontological insecurity dominates the narratives of fear and anxiety that are perpetuated by populist and authoritarian regimes today. In these discourses and imaginings, specific ideas of ‘security’ are desired as a return to order or an imagined or idealized past. In this chapter, we focus on how those narratives regularly rely on gendered and colonial framings that are associated with weakness and disorder. Populist authoritarians then offer solutions to insecurity that demand a style of rule that is often hierarchical, patriarchal, and racially ordered. We illustrate these narratives of ontological insecurity through a focus on postcolonial bordering practices, how gender and emotion feature in discourses of the nation, and the perceived sense of loss of national identity and masculinized ideas of strength. Furthermore, we explain how understanding ontological insecurity invokes new methodological frameworks and suggest additional avenues of exploration and adaptation.</p>}},
  author       = {{Kinnvall, Catarina and Agius, Christine}},
  booktitle    = {{Handbook on Gender and Security : International Handbooks on Gender}},
  isbn         = {{9781803928364}},
  keywords     = {{Authoritarianism; Gender; Neoliberalism; Ontological security; Populism; Postcolonial}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  pages        = {{37--48}},
  publisher    = {{Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.}},
  title        = {{Ontological insecurity and the gendered postcolonial subject}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781803928364.00009}},
  doi          = {{10.4337/9781803928364.00009}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}