This book introduces military humanities (MILHUM) as a new field of inquiry to demonstrate the utility of the humanities for a critical understanding of the military and its practices, and as a tool for developing these practices.
Modelled on the medical humanities, MILHUM aims to play an analogous role for military education and the military profession. This edited volume gathers contributions from authors based at both civilian and military higher education institutions, representing a wide range of humanities traditions – from linguistics, languages, and literature, to music, history, and philosophy. Throughout the chapters, the authors draw on the tools of their disciplines and others to present an anthology that spans both empirical and theoretical analyses and investigates militaries and war. The result is a volume that persuasively and cohesively argues for the value of the humanities for military practice and professionalism by offering insights that will inform the conduct of military operations, the provision of military education, and the development of professional ethos – all arrived at through humanities approaches.
This book will prove a valuable resource to military academic communities, comprised of both civilian scholars and military scholar-practitioners at military academic institutions and civilian academic institutions with military education programmes. It will also engage scholars and advanced students in the fields of critical military studies, war studies, security studies, conflict studies, and civil-military relations.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: The Military and the Humanities, Anne Marie Hagen and Kjetil Enstad Part 1 - Military Humanities and the Foundations of Military Thinking 1. The Historical Origins of Strategic Studies, Beatrice Heuser 2. Critical Thinking Applied to Leadership and Professional Military Education, Ilaria De Santis 3. Critical Thinking and the Ghost of the Humanities in Military Education, Michaela Vance 4. Thinking in Military Terms: Discourse and Judgement in the Military Profession, Kjetil Enstad Part 2 – Sensemaking and Navigating the Unknown 5. Fake News, Real Threat: Linguistics as a Line of Defence Against Disinformation, Silje Susanne Alvestad and Nele Põldvere 6. Military Ethics Training and Education for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Aleksandra Gulasaryan and David Whetham 7. Learning Military Leadership through Literature, Anne Marie Hagen 8. Beyond Doctrine: Harmonizing Meaning in Military Planning, Johan Ivari and Annette Nolan Part 3 – Recognising New Contexts for Foundational Knowledge 9. What Is Military History and What Is Its Utility for the Military Profession?, Steve Murdoch 10. Digital Methods for Military Humanities: Advancing Research on and in the Military, Tamir Libel and David Beck 11. Historiography: Teaching Critical Thinking, Empathy, and Professional Judgment, Michael Schmitz 12. Forging Uniform Identity? Ukraine’s Military Culture and Symbolism in the Post-Soviet Era, Piotr Wawrzeniuk Part 4 – Becoming a Military Professional 13. Recognizing the Experience of Others: Military Memoirs as a Pedagogy of Understanding, Marshall Gerbrandt 14. Top Gun: The Sound of Freedom, Eirik Askerøi and Kyrre Tromm Lindvig 15. Embodiment as a Research Topic and Method in the Military Humanities, Tua Sandman and Marcel Mangold
About the Author :
Anne Marie Hagen is Associate Professor at the Norwegian Defence University College.
Kjetil Enstad is Associate Professor at the Norwegian Defence University College.
Review :
'This is a groundbreaking work that places humanities at the center of military inquiry. Hagen and Enstad’s foundational text provides a series of case studies that illustrate how humanities fields […] offer unique, critical interpretive methodologies essential for military decision making in today’s ambiguous conflict environments.'
Paula Holmes-Eber, PhD, Affiliate Professor, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington
'While new technologies are changing the character of the military profession, its nature remains human. […] This book’s examination of humanities as the best means of instilling the necessary character, creativity and links to society in contemporary military leaders is timely and a vital issue for modern military organisations.'
Mick Ryan, Major General (ret.) Australian Army, adjunct fellow of Center for Strategic and International Studies
