THE WEAPONIZATION OF GRIEF: HOW STATES AND NON-STATE ARMED ACTORS USE MOURNING FOR POLITICAL ENDS

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THE WEAPONIZATION OF GRIEF: HOW STATES AND NON-STATE ARMED ACTORS USE MOURNING FOR POLITICAL ENDS

THE WEAPONIZATION OF GRIEF: HOW STATES AND NON-STATE ARMED ACTORS USE MOURNING FOR POLITICAL ENDS

Pages : 40-61

View : 46 | Download : 60

Publication Date : 2025-07-21

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study conceptualizes grief as a politically instrumentalized emotion strategically mobilized by state and non-state actors to legitimize authority, galvanize support, and sacralize political agendas. Drawing on interdisciplinary insights from memory politics and political theology, this argument posits that public rituals of mourning—from national commemorations to insurgent martyr cults—serve as effective mechanisms for consolidating identity, demarcating moral boundaries, and justifying violence. While existing literature addresses memory, trauma, and symbolic politics, it seldom treats grief itself as a discrete tool of governance or resistance. To address this gap, the study formulates testable hypotheses regarding how mourning is leveraged for political gain. Employing qualitative content analysis, it examines four illustrative cases: U.S. discourse post-9/11, Russia’s WWII commemorative regime, Hezbollah’s martyr narratives, and ISIS’s grief-saturated propaganda. Across these cases, grief emerges as a ritualized force that forges a polarized \\\"us vs. them\\\" dynamic, reaffirms legitimacy, and frames sacrifice as sacred. The findings advance theorizations of effect in international politics and offer a grounded corrective to critiques of emotionalist approaches as speculative. By foregrounding grief as a structured political instrument rather than mere sentiment, the article contributes a novel analytic lens to the study of emotional governance and symbolic power.
Keywords : Yasın Seferber Edilmesi, Politik Teoloji, Hafıza Politikaları, Yas Ritüelleri, Sembolik Siyaset, Şehitlik Anlatıları

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