Researching the visual and material cultures of war and conflict

Research into war and peace is increasingly concerned with vision and visuality. In this chapter, I consider the value of visual and material culture approaches to new research on war and conflict. These approaches implicate the researcher in a complex set of inquiries into representational, visual and material worlds. Key themes include visual technologies, media images, camouflage, uniform design and the body at war, highlighting the strategic role design and aesthetics play in warfare. A range of examples from various academic studies explore how images, objects and texts mediate modes of seeing, and thus knowing, military institutions and their activities.

Book Reviews

‘In the face of increasing conflict and growing security and defence threats, social scientists today are increasingly interested in the armed forces. Drawing together leading scholars in the field, this volume dissects the distinctive methodological challenges which attend military research. It will be required reading for any scholar interested in researching the armed forces.’

Anthony King, Warwick University, UK