Make or Break the Man: Exploring the Silence Around Disabilities Acquired in War

This presentation is an overview of my doctoral research project, which examines an “archival gap” in the texts of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. While many texts deal with war – both its glory and its devastation – there is an absence of descriptions/depictions of disabled individuals following warfare. Despite the fact that the survival rates of war injuries were quite good considering the medical technology available, the narratives we encounter in the Hebrew Bible is that a soldier either dies, is captured and enslaved, or returns from battle unscathed. Where are the injured soldiers? Where are the disabled soldiers? Looking into this expected but largely absent element, I explore the ideological reasons for its exclusion from the narrative, both what it means to be defeated on the battlefield and what it means to live as a disabled man in civil society. This is contrasted with the view of participation in war as a rite of passage where boys become men, to show the tension present in the war ideology of the Hebrew Bible and wider Ancient Near Eastern context.

John Tallefors (he/him) is a doctoral student of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible exegesis at the Centre of Theology and Religious Studies at Lund University. His research project examines the body as a site of ideological conflict and construction, focusing on disability and masculinity theories. Tallefors also holds a BA in Gender Studies from Lund University, with his thesis being a comparative study of treatment models for youth perpetrators of sexual violence. Aside from his research project, Tallefors serves as the review editor for the journal Svensk Teologisk Kvartalskrift and as a doctoral representative for the Swedish Exegetical Society (SES).

Accessibility: The room is accessible for wheelchair users (automatic doors, elevator, accessible toilet).

Contact: 
•    Elin Lundell elin [dot] lundell [at] genus [dot] lu [dot] se (elin[dot]lundell[at]genus[dot]lu[dot]se)

•    Irina Schmitt irina [dot] schmitt [at] genus [dot] lu [dot] se (irina[dot]schmitt[at]genus[dot]lu[dot]se)

The Crip & Queer Seminar series is hosted by the Division of Gender Studies. After the seminars, which are open to students, staff, and the general public, we serve fika in the kitchen on the fourth floor of Gamla Lungkliniken. 
 

Warmly welcome!