Towards a Narrative Method: Using Life-Writing in Military Education

Abstract

This article begins by considering current English as second language (EL2) teaching in Norwegian professional military education (PME) and reflecting on how reading narrative life-writing texts written by former military personnel supports interdisciplinary learning and contributes to the development of English language skills. It then shows how, by building on this current practice, narrative may be developed into a method of critical reading and communication for junior officers. Situating the use of life-writing texts in the context of military interest in narrative in the twenty-first century, and building on insights from life-writing and literacy research, the article argues that the reading of life-writing texts in military EL2 classes should be accompanied by teaching material and reading approaches designed to develop knowledge of narrative structures and techniques and awareness of how the text seeks to affect the reader. It further argues that this knowledge is a transferable skill of use to the military as a flexible communication tool: a narrative method.

Editors’ Note: Stocktaking of an Emergent Field After Five Years of the Scandinavian Journal of Military Studies

“…But we also insist that any such link or relevance may be understood broadly. Examples from the journal's archives cover a wide range of themes, including digital education (Kosonen, Vekkaila, & Pullinen, 2023), life-writing (Hagen, 2019), veterans transitioning to civilian life (Pedersen & Wieser, 2021), peacekeeping (Wisén et al, 2021), cyber militias (Svantesson, 2023), and search and rescue (Dahlberg et al, 2020).…”