Warrior Nation

In the fourth installment of our series on war and memory we speak with ex-British Army mental health clinician Christian Hughes on the traumatic impacts of conflict.  He gives a detailed breakdown of PTSD, critiques the condition's framing as a 'heroes injury' only experienced by those on the front-line, and introduces us to the notion of moral injury. In a wide-ranging discussion,...

In the third installment of our series on war and memory we speak with American academic and Vietnam veteran Jerry Lembcke on how resistance to the conflict in South East Asia was framed during the 1960s and 70s. The discussion focuses on two key positions in Jerry's work: stab in the back theory and the pathologising of dissent through the coining of post-traumatic stress disorder. He unpack...

In the second episode of our new series on war and memory, we speak with founder of Forensic Architecture Eyal Weizman and academic Susan Schuppli on the role memory plays in testimony and witnessing. The discussion explores the different approaches to evidence in war crimes tribunals, starting with the Nuremburg trials of 1945, and explains how the contemporary work of Forensic Architecture is he...

In the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, and the Conservative Government's attempt to impose a maximum sentence of 10-years for vandalising statues, we speak with academics Natasha Danilova and Adam Elliot-Cooper on the national histories constructed through memorials and statues, and the spaces of reconstruction opened up by their removal. The discussion covers a wide range of th...

Joe Glenton is joined by Phil Miller, staff reporter at Declassified UK and author of 'Keenie Meenie: The British mercenaries who got away with war crimes' , for a wide ranging discussion on defence journalism and coverage of the UK military in the media.  Declassified provides critical investigative reporting on the UK military, security services and foreign policy. The organisation was...

In the first episode of our second series, we talk about Armed Forces Day with Symon Hill of the Peace Pledge Union, the pacifist campaigning organisation. We discuss the context in which the annual event came into existence in 2009, how it works to market armed forces recruitment and the military more generally and promote arms companies, and the issues it raises about the normalisation of weapon...

For the finale of our first podcast season, we spoke to political hip hop artist Lowkey about war, militarism, the current political climate, and our hopes and prospects for the future. The event was recorded in front of a live audience at Housmans Bookshop in London on 4 December and co-hosted with peace activist Maya Evans. The music in this podcast is from Hand On Your Gun by Lowkey . Follow us...

We talk to ForcesWatch’s founders David Gee and Emma Sangster, about recruitment and militarism in the UK and some of ForcesWatch’s key outputs over the years. Join us as we discuss:  How and why ForcesWatch began The lack of ‘informed choice’ in the military’s enlistment of minors How we define militarism How militaristic the UK is compared to other countries, and why Turning war into spectacle T...

We talk to academics Vron Ware and Antonia Dawes about their ongoing project with Mitra Pariyar: a two-year study of an army town in Wiltshire. We discuss why and how significant policy changes over the last ten years are changing the relationship between military and civilian communities, and the impacts of relocating thousands of soldiers from Germany to newly expanded ‘super-garrisons’ in rural...

We talk to satirical artist Darren Cullen about what led him away from a career in advertising and into a career producing political art. He uses the language of advertising to make work about the empty promises of consumerism and the lies of military recruiters. Join us as we discuss: Military recruitment advertising The backlash of criticising the ‘sacred’ military institution   Going ‘one step...

We are joined by Dr Victoria Basham, a reader in International Relations at Cardiff University and President of the European International Studies Association.  Her research focuses on issues of gender, race, class and sexuality in relation to militaries, militarism and militarisation. She is editor of the Critical Military Studies (CMS) journal and a pioneering figure in the field.  Our wide-rang...

In the wake of the Court of Appeal ruling that UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia are illegal given war crimes in Yemen, we talk to expert Andrew Feinstein about his life exposing the global sale of arms. We pull apart the nature of this trade, discuss some little known facts about it and consider how it is perceived and portrayed in British society. Join us as we discuss: The corruption and power of t...

In our opening episode we talk to academic Professor Paul Dixon about his research into the British military’s efforts to militarise society, encroach on democracy and shape public attitudes to war and defence. We look at the ideas behind our joint 2018 ‘Warrior Nation’ report, from which our new podcast takes its name, in an effort to understand exactly how the military has sought to shape its re...