The Lahure dream: Unpacking Nepali military aspirations and masculinity

For generations, many young Nepali men have aspired to become Gurkha soldiers (Lahure), drawn by the prestige, wealth and opportunities associated with transnational military service. Focusing on memes, this paper analyses the construction of masculinity among transnational military aspirants, building on the aspirations-capabilities framework of migration. It argues, first, that memes’ emphasis on the need for building personal migration capacities, portraying recruitment as crucial and framing failure as a source of personal and familial shame, is rooted in colonial histories of cheap mercenary labour. Second, while (pre-)military training aims to prepare aspirants for recruitment, it also fosters white hegemonic military masculinity, which enforces rigid masculine ideals. Finally, we see a reinforcement of this masculinity in memes about romantic relationships, where female partners are depicted as either obstacles to military success or passive, faithful supporters of the transnational soldier, while mothers are portrayed as sacred figures.