This article focuses on the ‘enchanted’ materiality of state militarism by offering an anthropological analysis of ‘gun culture’ within the reservist ranks of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Through primarily ethnographic observations of one reserve combat unit over the span of a decade, we will argue that the ways in which firearms are handled by individual soldiers symbolically mirrors much broader strategic and political tensions between two competing forms of organizational logic. On the one hand, there is what can be described as an enchanted allure with the tools of violence. This may include personal excitement around the expectation of combat, learned experience, and a curiosity regarding the weapons of war. On the other hand, there is a broader institutional and professionalizing tendency towards disciplining these individualistic modalities by distancing soldiers from both the tools and the results of battle itself. Ultimately, we argue that while the IDF may seek to harness individual enchanted engagements with firearms to further militaristic goals, on the ground, this process occurs amidst a stark clash of institutional logics and a good deal of ambivalence around the nature of warfare and uncertainty about the ethos of violence.

中文翻译：

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瓦萨赫：以色列国防军预备役部队中的枪支魅力和“枪支文化”


本文通过对以色列国防军 (IDF) 预备役军人队伍中的“枪支文化”进行人类学分析，重点关注国家军国主义的“迷人”物质性。通过对一支预备役战斗部队在十年间的主要民族志观察，我们将认为，单个士兵使用枪支的方式象征性地反映了两种相互竞争的组织逻辑形式之间更广泛的战略和政治紧张局势。一方面，可以用暴力工具来描述一种令人着迷的诱惑。这可能包括对战斗的预期的个人兴奋、学到的经验以及对战争武器的好奇心。另一方面，存在一种更广泛的制度化和专业化趋势，通过使士兵远离工具和战斗结果本身来约束这些个人主义模式。最终，我们认为，虽然以色列国防军可能会寻求利用个人对枪支的着迷，以进一步实现军国主义目标，但在实地，这一过程发生在制度逻辑的鲜明冲突以及围绕战争性质和不确定性的大量矛盾心理之中。暴力的精神。