Military image, capitals at stake and thanatopolitics: the TV series of Colombian’s Army Hombres de Honor

Abstract

Based on the study of the self-image and the image of the enemy of society in the margins of the State, this article presents an analysis of the military logic around the notions of the human and the order in the TV Series “Hombres de Honor”. This production exposed a committed army with the civilian population especially in the conflict areas, and it shows the human character of the soldiers, beyond their role as combatants in war. The analysis of the series allows capturing the field of power, as well as the tanatopolitics that frames the logic of the war actions in the image. For this analysis, the capitals in the military field and their hierarchy were determined, and based on that, the binary restructuring and the narrative around the government forces and the enemies of the society were explored. In this context, the human superiority of the army legitimizes the values of the military logic as a moral guide for all society based on the biopower.