Soldiers without a war? Public and private framings of Norway’s engagement in Afghanistan

Abstract

This article examines how the military engagement in Afghanistan has been framed in the Norwegian public sphere and by veterans who have participated on the ground. Drawing on public documents and personal interview data, the analysis demonstrates how different frames were used in the public and private spheres to convey the meaning of the operation. The analysis focuses in particular on the mismatch experienced by the veterans between the official framing of the operation as a humanitarian endeavor, and their perception of having been at war. In the discussion of the findings, we argue that the study sheds light on broader questions concerning the place of contemporary soldiers in Western societies, where people in general have become largely detached from the direct experience of warfare.