Description
Military technology’s role in contemporary warfare is unquestionably important. From off-the-shelf FPV drones in Ukraine to multi-million dollar supercomputers running simulations of nuclear stockpiles, contemporary warfare is inconceivable without advanced technology. Political rhetoric, however, tends to focus on the human component from the heroic soldier to the “human in the loop” arguably moderating the view of warfare as inhumane and contributing to a militarised society. When we look to popular culture though, we see more complicated representations. Cinema, art, and photography in particular have the opportunity to both reinforce this heroic image of the citizen-soldier and represent war as a human phenomenon but also to undermine the individualistic approach and show war in its merciless, uncaring, and ultimately inhuman character. This paper seeks to explore this tension between the reality of war and the political representation of those who fight with cultural articulations that problematise this.
