Monday, February 10, 2025 - 1:15 p.m. to 3 p.m.
MUB Theater 2
This talk, "Race, Gender, and Public Perceptions of Legitimate US Drone Strikes: An Intersectional Approach," precedes a Sidore Master Class and demonstration the following day and explores related issues.
Speakers: Keith Carter, Ph.D. and Paul Lushenko, Ph.D.
Event description:
How do sex, gender, and race shape public perceptions of legitimate drone warfare? We field an original survey experiment varying targets’ sex, gender, and race. We find that female targets performing masculine gender roles enhance public perceptions of legitimacy, suggesting that Americans interpret such targets as socially deviant. Regardless of targets’ sex, respondents perceive strikes against White targets as more legitimate than strikes against Black targets. Finally, we observe that Americans’ perceived gender shapes their attitudes toward drones. Americans who self-identify as feminine are more likely to view drone strikes as illegitimate. Together, this new evidence offers important insights for US drone policy and strategy.
For more information, contact Jen Spindel (jennifer.spindel@unh.edu) or Abby Walsh (Abigail.Walsh@unh.edu).
The Saul O Sidore Memorial Lecture Series was established in 1965 in memory of Saul O Sidore of Manchester, New Hampshire. The purpose of the series is to offer the University community and the state of New Hampshire programs that raise critical and sometimes controversial issues facing our society. The University of New Hampshire Center for the Humanities sponsors the programs. Lectures are free and open to the public.
