Quand l'Armée rouge agresse ses alliées: rapports sociaux de sexe, masculinités et intérêt national en contexte de conflit armé

The soldiers of the Red Army are known for having perpetrated brutal sexual assault against enemy populations in the Second World War, but less known for the assault committed against the Allied population. This analytical blind spot contributes on one hand to the construction of sexual violence as a natural phenomenon in the context of armed conflict and on the other hand to the concealment of the experiences of women who do not enter into the paradigm of Ally/enemy. This research aims to create a theoretical frame that can contribute to the study of sexual violence against Allies in the light of historical cases of assault suffered in 1945 by Polish, Yugoslavian, Hungarian, and Ukrainian women. We call on different theoretical tools, which permit us to raise dynamic links between patriarchy, socialization of men, and the construction of the state, all to underline the preponderant role of the essentialization of a violent sexuality, to analyze the experience of civilians. The analysis of these cases of violence at Allied locations demonstrates how patriarchal domination is expressed when the protection of civilian populations, particularly of women, by the state and its combatants is put aside to benefit national needs linked to the protection of soldiers and the reproduction of military culture. [from author]