Unexpected Rewards of Political Violence: Republican Ex-Prisoners, Seductive Capital, and the Gendered Nature of Heroism

The public debate on politically-motivated violence tends to be dominated by concerns over the societal impact of this type of violence, and the motivations that push individuals to engage in this damaging and dangerous activity. Lesser attention is generally paid to the benefits that political violence may generate for those involved. In this article, I explore one such benefit with reference to the republican armed struggle in Northern Ireland. Using ethnographic data collected in West Belfast and building on Bourdieu’s theory of capital, I introduce the concept of “seductive capital.” Seductive capital was acquired by some male republican volunteers by virtue of their involvement in the armed struggle and the republican prison struggles for political status. Strictly associated with the heroic status of ex-prisoners in nationalist communities, seductive capital could be used upon release to facilitate access to women for occasional encounters or long-term relationships. Unlike male ex-prisoners, female ex-prisoners do not appear to have acquired seductive capital. The article explores the gendered nature of seductive capital in Northern Ireland, showing its connection with anti-colonial traditions, constructs of masculinity and femininity in nationalist discourses, and widespread views on gender that resonate with other social and geographical contexts.