Reserve Soldiers as Transmigrants

Abstract

This article suggests a new perspective for examining the particular social and organizational characteristics of military reserves forces and the special experiences of serving in the reserves. To illustrate the unique social position of reservists, the authors develop a theoretical model that likens them to transmigrants. Accordingly, the authors suggest that society may benefit from looking at reserves both as sorts of social and organizational hybrids or amalgams-they are soldiers and civilians, they are outside yet inside the military system, and are invested in both spheres-and as continual migrants journeying between military and civilian spheres. The authors end by suggesting that it may be fruitful to study three segments of the military, each of which has its own dynamics: regulars, conscripts, and reserves. This differentiation allows society to examine different patterns of motivation, cohesion, political commitment and awareness, and long-term considerations that characterize each segment.

Exploring the relationship between sense of belonging and perceived well-being in Canadian Army reservists

“…Taken together, the findings in the current study provide further evidence in support of the work by Lomsky-Feder et al, suggesting that research on regular force personnel may not be applicable to reservists. 2 These differences could be due to the way in which individuals in the current study identified with being a reservist or a member of the CAF. In particular, 64% of reservists studied stated they had not deployed.…”

“…Th ey are likened to transmigrants -that is, individuals who leave their homeland to live in another country -because reservists are constantly moving from one sphere to another, similar to transmigrants who have a sense of belonging to both their homeland and new place of residence. 2 Connection to homeland, for a reservist, can be equated to affection and nostalgia for a regiment (history and traditions), and the significance of regimental ties. However, reservists also have ties to the civilian community via jobs, education, family, friends, and local networks.…”

“…Thus, reservists have been considered to be both citizens and soldiers (i.e., "citizen soldiers") and described as "special soldiers," "special citizens" having dual allegiances. 2 Given that reservists split their time between military duties and civilian responsibilities, Lomsky-Feder et al state the analytical framework used to understand soldiers, typically modelled after the experiences of regular force members, should not be applied to reservists. 2 Other research by Vest, 3 conducted using National Guard members in the United States (U.S.), suggests the interpretation of a "citizen-soldier" is not necessarily fixed but lies on a spectrum where soldier and citizen are on opposite ends.…”

“…The focus is on reservists because they are typically under-represented in health and wellness research but worthy of attention, as their experiences may differ from their regular force counterparts. 2 Additionally, to counter the limitations typically observed in much of the military health and wellness research, the current study utilizes a measure of positive well-being as the outcome of interest.…”

“…More specifically, feeling a sense of belonging to a local community can enhance resilience by bolstering feelings of competence and efficacy via the availability of community-related resources. 8 Due to limited research directly assessing the relationship between sense of belonging to the military and positive well-being, and because past research indicates there is no single type of "citizen soldier," 2,3,4 no specific hypotheses were made about this relationship. Instead, this relationship was explored in the current context (i.e., direct and indirect effects of sense of belonging on well-being).…”