About
Co-ordinator: dr. Erella Grassiani
As social scientists from different disciplines we are looking for fresh and critical perspectives on ‘things military’. The Working Group (WG) aims to include critical theoretical frameworks that have been included in several social science disciplines, but that have still not made their way through in the military studies. In line with critical theory in general the WG wants to focus on new ways of examining what military studies are and how to approach the military as an object of study. The WG thus does not intend to take ‘the military’ as a given and/or to start our analysis from within its ranks or its assigned missions and tasks. Rather members of the WG will commence the analysis from the ‘outside’ and critically examine what it is that the military does? how it does what it does? and what are the social, political and ethical implications are of its workings and operations? While focussing on the military, the WG will also emphasize the blurry boundaries between the military and security establishments and include these inter-connections in our critical analysis. As a consequence, the WG may touch upon issues that are perhaps seen as ‘sensitive’ or ‘political’ but that are very important for understanding socio-military relations. The WG will encourage researchers who study the military in its widest sense, leaving room for a critical approach and an open transparent academic debate on the subjects we study. In this way we hope to open ERGOMAS to new scholarly research and new members.
As social scientists from different disciplines we are looking for fresh and critical perspectives on ‘things military’. The Working Group (WG) aims to include critical theoretical frameworks that have been included in several social science disciplines, but that have still not made their way through in the military studies. In line with critical theory in general the WG wants to focus on new ways of examining what military studies are and how to approach the military as an object of study. The WG thus does not intend to take ‘the military’ as a given and/or to start our analysis from within its ranks or its assigned missions and tasks. Rather members of the WG will commence the analysis from the ‘outside’ and critically examine what it is that the military does? how it does what it does? and what are the social, political and ethical implications are of its workings and operations? While focussing on the military, the WG will also emphasize the blurry boundaries between the military and security establishments and include these inter-connections in our critical analysis. As a consequence, the WG may touch upon issues that are perhaps seen as ‘sensitive’ or ‘political’ but that are very important for understanding socio-military relations. The WG will encourage researchers who study the military in its widest sense, leaving room for a critical approach and an open transparent academic debate on the subjects we study. In this way we hope to open ERGOMAS to new scholarly research and new members.
News and activities
This new WG was founded in September 2015, after the ERGOMAS meeting in Raanana, Israel.