Hero, Victimor Villain? The Public Image of the British Soldier and its Implications for Defense Policy

McCartney, Helen B.

doi:10.1080/14751798.2011.557213

Cited by 48 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 4 publications

(4 reference statements)

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“…Many find emotional expression uncomfortable (Atherton ) and encounter difficulties in finding jobs, sustaining family relationships, and maintaining housing. Sympathetic media attention has been drawn to research indicating that ex‐military personnel constitute ‘a disproportionate number of the single homeless population’ (Higate , p.445) (see also Anderson, Kemp and Quilgars ; Gunner and Knott ; Randall and Brown ), and although opinion may be indifferent about prisoners in general (Cheliotis ), a slightly more compassionate attitude is sometimes expressed towards ViC (McCartney ; Murray ).…”

Section: The Prison‐military Complex and Ex‐military Personnelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soldiering On? The Prison‐Military Complex and Ex‐Military Personnel as Prison Officers: Transition, Rehabilitation and Prison Reform

Moran

Turner

Arnold

2019

Howard J Crime Justice

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Arguing that criminology has thus far inadequately theorised militarism as it relates to the prison system, this agenda‐setting article introduces the ‘prison‐military complex’ as a means to initiate examination of militarism in relation to institutions and practices of incarceration. In so doing, it identifies a key knowledge gap vis‐à‐vis the role of ex‐military personnel employed as prison staff; and poses key questions about the ways in which military staff and military methods are being directly targeted as a means to reform a prison service reeling from unprecedented levels of violence, self‐harm, riots, and escapes. Encouraging criminologists to think beyond stereotypical ideas about the military, the article revolves around a multiscalar articulation of the prison‐military complex, discussed here as it relates to reform of the prison system as a whole; the rehabilitation of offenders; and individuals’ ex‐military transitions to civilian life.

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Section: The Prison‐military Complex and Ex‐military Personnelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soldiering On? The Prison‐Military Complex and Ex‐Military Personnel as Prison Officers: Transition, Rehabilitation and Prison Reform

Moran

Turner

Arnold

2019

Howard J Crime Justice

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“…This trend has been taken further in the twenty-first century with the portrayal of soldiers in newspapers, art, documentaries and museum displays as routinely suffering from psychological injury, with the consequential effect of the contemporary soldier increasingly being viewed as a victim of modern war. 50 Whatever the reality, there is now an expectation that most soldiers will be psychologically damaged by war. This development has helped to reinforce the image of the victimized First World War soldier, whose experiences are often viewed, particularly in Britain, as uniquely horrific, surpassing all subsequent war experience.…”

Section: Shell Shock: Psychiatric Breakdown and Its Implications For mentioning

confidence: 99%

The First World War soldier and his contemporary image in Britain

McCartney

2014

International Affairs

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The image of the First World War soldier as a cowed victim, caught in the grip of a meaningless, industrialized war, is one that has become entrenched in the British popular imagination. It was not, however, the image that dominated public discussion of the soldier between 1914 and 1918. This article seeks to examine how the portrayal of the soldier changed during and after the First World War and proposes that the victimized soldier motif has been reinforced today by the coalescence of three trends. The first is the growth of the family history industry that encourages an individualized and empathetic approach to the First World War. The second trend is concerned with an increasing public interest in psychological reactions to war. Since the Vietnam War, there has been a growing expectation that soldiers will be psychologically damaged by wartime experience. This has influenced the public perception of the First World War soldier, affecting, in particular, the discussion surrounding those executed for military crimes during the conflict. Finally, the article argues that long‐term changes in British attitudes to the use of force, coupled with the experience of recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, have also coloured the way in which the First World War is portrayed. A range of interest groups have cast the contemporary British soldier as a victim in recent years and the article argues that the explicit linking of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq with the First World War has reinforced this victim image for each conflict.

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“…Various cultural narratives circulating in the press, among veterans' charities, in government, and among veterans themselves make competing claims to tell the truth about veterans' lives and experiences post-conflict. In Europe and the US, heroic narratives abound, celebrating the sacrifices and achievements veterans have made on behalf of their country (MCCARTNEY, 2011;ZIMBARDO;BRECKENRIDGE;MOGHADDAM, 2015). These are juxtaposed with, or sometimes combined with, stories of veterans as 'victims' of wartime experience or of government and military failings (MCCARTNEY, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These are juxtaposed with, or sometimes combined with, stories of veterans as 'victims' of wartime experience or of government and military failings (MCCARTNEY, 2011). Less common since Vietnam, but also part of the narrative spaces they inhabit, are stories of veterans as 'villains'; as shameful perpetrators of violence and abuse, such as the abusing of war prisoners in Iraq (MCCARTNEY, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Europe and the US, heroic narratives abound, celebrating the sacrifices and achievements veterans have made on behalf of their country (MCCARTNEY, 2011;ZIMBARDO;BRECKENRIDGE;MOGHADDAM, 2015). These are juxtaposed with, or sometimes combined with, stories of veterans as 'victims' of wartime experience or of government and military failings (MCCARTNEY, 2011). Less common since Vietnam, but also part of the narrative spaces they inhabit, are stories of veterans as 'villains'; as shameful perpetrators of violence and abuse, such as the abusing of war prisoners in Iraq (MCCARTNEY, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Combat Surfers: A Narrative Study of Veterans, Surfing, and War Trauma

Caddick

Smith

2017

Movimento

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Abstract:We use narrative inquiry to illustrate the complex lives and experiences of combat veterans who go surfing to deal with the traumatic aftermath of war. The stories we collected reveal the rich and varied qualities of veterans' surfing experiences. These stories are several things at once. They are personal, revealing the body in motion as it negotiates the natural environment. They are social and cultural, shaped as they are by dominant societal narratives about veterans and masculinity. And, importantly, they are also actors, shaping the ways in which veterans experience themselves, each other, and the world around them.Resumo: Usamos a investigação narrativa para ilustrar as vidas complexas e experiências de veteranos de combate que vão surfar para lidar com as conseqüências traumáticas da guerra. As histórias que coletamos revelam as qualidades ricas e variadas das experiências de surf dos veteranos. Essas histórias são várias coisas ao mesmo tempo. Eles são pessoais, revelando o corpo em movimento como ele negocia o ambiente natural. Eles são sociais e culturais, moldados como eles são por narrativas societal dominantes sobre veteranos e masculinidade. E, o mais importante, eles também são atores, moldando as maneiras pelas quais os veteranos experimentam a si mesmos, uns aos outros e ao mundo à sua volta.Resumen: Utilizamos la investigación narrativa para ilustrar las complejas vidas y experiencias de los veteranos de combate que van a surfear para tratar las consecuencias traumáticas de la guerra. Las historias que recopilamos revelan las cualidades ricas y variadas de las experiencias de surf de los veteranos. Estas historias son varias cosas a la vez. Son personales, revelando el cuerpo en movimiento mientras que negocia el ambiente natural. Son sociales y culturales, conformados por las narrativas dominantes de la sociedad sobre los veteranos y la masculinidad. Y, lo que es más importante, también son actores, moldeando las maneras en que los veteranos se experimentan a sí mismos, entre ellos, y el mundo que los rodea.

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Hero, Victimor Villain? The Public Image of the British Soldier and its Implications for Defense Policy

Cited by 48 publications

References 4 publications

Soldiering On? The Prison‐Military Complex and Ex‐Military Personnel as Prison Officers: Transition, Rehabilitation and Prison Reform

Soldiering On? The Prison‐Military Complex and Ex‐Military Personnel as Prison Officers: Transition, Rehabilitation and Prison Reform

The First World War soldier and his contemporary image in Britain

Combat Surfers: A Narrative Study of Veterans, Surfing, and War Trauma

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