Bodily memory and emotional expressions of male members of the army with direct experience of war

Abstract

This article focuses on bodily memory and emotional expressions of the Russian male militaries who participated in the Afghanistan war. The research aims to reveal the axis structure of bodily memory and to analyze the structural elements of emotionality objectified in narrations of the male Afghan veterans. The author reflects the loci of concentrated bodily memory, such as corporal inscriptions and skin writings which are optical, perceptible and indelible. They function as “the truth” about the past imprinted on the male body. The following questions are discussed in the article. How does bodily memory function in male militaries’ narrations? What are the results of bodily memory work? What role do emotions play during the process of remembering? What kind of emotions do male veterans express in their narrations? What type of connection is there between bodily memory and emotional expressing?