Description
This paper explores the ways in which military identities, values, symbols, histories, and communities play out in different social contexts in ways which are not captured by the dominant conceptual tool of militarisation. Drawing on Parry and Thumin (2017) and Parry (2022)’s notion of ‘militariness’, we consider how everyday practices that ‘look’ like militarisation but which feel different, can be explained and understood. We explore militariness in the context of a community-based charity in the north of England called Veterans in Communities (VIC). We argue that the use of military symbols and décor, shared cultural practices like ‘banter’, shared histories of military service form the backdrop of the charity’s community space, but this does not lead to glorification or exceptionalisation of military service. Instead, VIC centres on community relationships, equality between all members (including veterans and civilians) and responding to everyday social challenges in the community. People in this space have taken aspects of military culture, history, and identity, and shaped them around a community of care. These dynamics cannot be captured by militarisation, which relies upon hierarchies, distinctions, and the co-optation of individuals and spaces, but instead demands an analysis sensitive to the nuances, ambiguities and agency of those present in this space.
