%0 Journal Article
%T Enchanted by the AK
%A Younes Saramifar
%J Journal of Material Culture
%@ 1460-3586
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/1359183517725099
%X The constant presence of various forms and makes of firearm has turned it into an everyday item among some Lebanese. For Hezbollah militants, the AK-47 is an object of humour and fun despite its lethal potential. The weapon is saturated with representative qualities ¨C both material and semiotic, so the author explores its materiality as a crucial nodal point from which to sketch the difficult terrain of subject¨Cobject relationship in the life of Lebanese Shi¡¯i Hezbollah militants. He seeks to identify the material culture of a weapon that consolidates myths, reifies identities, stages propaganda and advertises threats. With this in view, the author follows the AK-47 to explore its ¡®enchanting¡¯ qualities and speak of the relationship it forms with a militant¡¯s body. He locates the body of militants between three questions: what does the AK-47 signify, how does it arrive at that signification, and finally, how have its materiality and dynamic physicality made it the weapon of choice
%K embodiment
%K Hezbollah
%K intensity
%K material semiosis
%K subjectivity
%K weapon
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1359183517725099