War Narratives Research Articles

When war narratives encounter populist audiences: a case of the Russia-Ukraine War on Chinese social media

ABSTRACT This research explores Chinese netizens’ response to Russia-Ukraine war narratives on Chinese social media, and how online populism affects the reception of war narratives. Taking a comparative perspective, it examines the mechanisms and reasons behind the dynamics in the Chinese social media users’ comments (N = 30261) toward Russian and Ukrainian Weibo posts (N = 124). With the help of the natural language processing (NLP) approach, the article highlights populism as a significant characteristic among comments on these war narratives, emphasizing the role of ideological influences in shaping public perception of geopolitical events. While Russia’s narrative initially garnered support, its popularity waned over time due to the heterogeneous nature of Chinese online populism. Conversely, Ukraine’s narrative faced initial challenges but eventually gained more support, largely due to the decreasing credibility of the opposing narratives.

Memorializing (violent) resistance to authoritarianism: challenges and tensions at Portugal’s Aljube Museum - resistance and freedom

ABSTRACT Museums play a critical role in constituting and communicating narratives about historical violence and connecting them to contemporary and future concerns. In this paper, we examine the memorialization of resistance movements, especially resistance to authoritarianism and state violence, as exemplified at the Aljube Museum – Resistance and Freedom in Lisbon, Portugal. We offer a methodological and theoretical discussion on storytelling and autoethnography in understanding the narratives of historical violence and war, focusing on representations of historical resistance movements and their uses of violence. We argue that the museum has avoided grappling with armed resistance as a method of effecting change and challenging authoritarianism by crafting a coherent and unitary narrative about oppression and non-violent resistance that downplays violent opposition to authoritarianism. After outlining some silences noted in the museum’s representations of resistance, we offer a counter-memory that discusses the role of non-state armed actors and shows multiple ways in which historical authoritarianism has been resisted and fought.

Utilising Genograms as a Visual Diagnostic Tool to Explore Trauma within Agata Tuszyńska’s Family

The burden to continue the war narrative falls on the so-called second generation, i.e. persons who, despite being born after World War II, are equally burdened by the memory of their mothers’ traumatic experiences. Existing research in psychology and the social sciences, as well as the genogram theory formulated by American researchers, proves helpful in expanding knowledge and structuring information on the phenomenon of trauma and its inheritance. The tools thus obtained enable reinterpretation of the texts by A. Tuszyńska, whose experience of the war, although not direct, largely shaped her identity and had a destructive impact on development and assimilation in the new, post-war reality.

‘We Must Find a Way to Remember Them Too’: British Second World War Conscientious Objectors in Post-War Culture

This article examines the ways in which British Second World War conscientious objectors (COs) have been commemorated, memorialized, and represented since 1945. Despite comprising nearly 60 000 men, the CO is strikingly absent in both the popular narrative of the Second World War and official, institutional commemorations of the conflict. This is not true of their First World War counterpart. This is unsurprising: the Second World War CO is largely at odds with popular British conceptions of the war as a ‘just’ conflict. Nevertheless, a broad and diverse set of initiatives have been established to commemorate the CO. The CO also features in numerous forms of post-war popular culture, including fiction, films, television programmes, and plays. It is these disparate remembrance practices and representations that this article brings together to help us explore both the memory of wartime conscientious objection and the broader cultural legacies of the Second World War.

Automating Power: Cybernetics and Sovereignty in Cold War North Korea.

This study challenges the conventional Cold War narrative that portrays cybernetics as inherently opposed to communist authoritarianism and the perception of cybernetic control as a mechanism of liberal governmentality. It analyzes the introduction of cybernetics into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) during the Cold War. Previous studies about cybernetics in the socialist world have described how the discipline's emphasis on objectivity and decentralization clashed with orthodox political economists and Stalinist science and led to liberal reforms. Yet in the DPRK, the introduction of cybernetics was followed by an increase in authoritarianism.

The Agony of British Gorkhas: Fighting for Equal Rights in Fearless Warriors by Kangmang Naresh Rai

The major focus of this paper is on the unpleasant war experiences of the British Gorkhas such as the agony of British Gorkha services and its impacts on them in the book Fearless Warriors by Kangmang Naresh Rai, an ex-British Gorkha soldier. This book compiles various British Gorkha soldiers’ experiences in battling for Britain in the several wars around the world. It is an autobiographical book on the British Gorkha soldiers. This paper argues that the Gorkhas sacrifice their lives just for Britain whose greed for imperial power spread over many countries in Asia, Middle East Asia, and Africa. Moreover, the British Gorkhas are treated as ‘others’ because they are paid far less salaries and pensions than the British soldiers. They also become the victim of ‘redundancy’ imposed by the British authority after almost all major wars including the two World Wars. This paper is based on the qualitative research method. Thus, the researcher has consulted several war narratives by the British Gorkhas and various critical reviews related to the British Gorkhas and wars. In addition, the researcher has also consulted different war veterans for the verification of the information about the British Gorkhas’ experiences. This study will be helpful for the future researchers in the same area.

Cross-national civilian reporting of the everydayness of war: Emerging citizen journalism practices in Palestine and Kashmir

This article explores how Palestinian and Kashmiri civilians engage with the everyday reality of war. The focus is on understanding how citizens temporarily adopt the roles of war correspondents, contributing to the broader conflict narrative. Employing an inductive approach, the study integrates ethnography, phenomenology, and reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) to gain insights into how citizen journalists shape war narratives. Analysing the interview data through RTA reveals six key themes: “Emerging citizen journalism practices,” “Community Consciousness,” “Challenges in media perception,” “Self-expression and Social cohesion,” Responding to Authoritarian Falsehoods”, “Teen journalism”, and “Self-protection and safety”. The findings suggest that the citizen journalism practices in Palestine and Kashmir strategically report the war narratives, representing a progressive journalism practice. The results underline that citizen journalism practices in these regions purposefully present war narratives and represent a form of constructive journalism, which responds to authoritarian regimes’ extensive control over mainstream media and facilitates reconciliation and peace. Such citizen journalism practices act as an equipoise to data imbalances in information architecture for the consumers. The research underscores how conflict citizen journalism embodies activist and collaborative models with robust potential for replication in other conflict-ridden areas.

How are narratives sacralised? Russian dogma on the war in Ukraine

ABSTRACT The article analyses how the Russian official representation of the war in Ukraine has been sacralised and then applied to the identity-building strategy. Sacralisation is considered a way to legitimise politics by attributing transcendental meaning and significance to it. This paper suggests a framework for identifying the use of sacralisation techniques and discusses the potential applications of the sacralised war narrative lying beyond the justification of war. It is shown that the Russian representation of the war, once sacralised, has codified the ideological leitmotifs of the last decades. It has built a holistic and comprehensive cognitive schema grounded in pre-constructed identity beliefs and ideas. The state of war allowed the establishment of this framework in a top-down way. Thus, the article claims that discursive sacralisation not only justifies warfare but can also intensify identity politics.

Kriege kommen und gehen, die internationale Gesellschaft ändert sich und Religionen überdauern: Narrative religiöser Akteure zum Ukraine-Krieg

AbstractIn the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reactions by religious leaders have differed greatly, with the Shia Ayatollah blaming the United States for the war, the Catholic Pope calling the United Nations “impotent,” and the Dalai Lama stating that “war is outdated.” But has there been a change in any of these religious narratives when it comes to war? Does the Ukraine war signify a turning point, or can we observe more of the same? Embedded in an English School framework, this article conducts a narrative analysis to better understand whether and how the primary institutions of war and international law are being (re)interpreted. The article analyses these three religious actors’ narratives on the Ukraine war and compares them to their respective past war narratives. The article examines how these narratives reflect a strengthening and even an expansion or an undermining and thus weakening of international society, with a particular emphasis on the primary institutions of war and international law as well as the secondary institution of the United Nations. The article argues that at least for religious actors in international politics, the Ukraine war does not pose a formative event in global security policy. Instead, these actors may have missed a critical juncture for strengthening or even upholding international law.

The Gulf War in Saudi Fiction

Abstract There exists only limited scholarship on Saudi novelists as producers of war literature. Research into Saudi fiction has focused on the questions of its historical development, universality, women’s writing, and the reluctance of earlier writers to negotiate socio-political and psychological dimensions compared with the candidness and boldness of contemporary writers portraying these taboo subjects and daring to investigate unexplored regions of human consciousness. This article, however, diverges, using select novels to critique fictional treatment of the Gulf War by Saudi writers. Two prominent American war novels will be used as reference points through which to determine the similarities and differences between the Saudi war novel and its American counterpart. Putting Saudi novels that deal with the theme of war on a par with some American literature that has the same focus aims to uncover patterns of similarity and highlight differences. The goal is ultimately to show how Saudi fiction saw the war while establishing a war narrative that lends the story coherence and meaning.

“The camera got through safely”: photography and women’s memory activism after the Irish Civil War and Spanish Civil War

ABSTRACT This article takes a comparative approach to gendered legacies of civil war and militant women’s post-war memory activism in Ireland and Spain, and highlights a shared practice of photographic memory-keeping as a means of constructing counter-narratives of war. It focuses specifically on the testimonial memoirs “Blaze Away with your Little Gun” (1968–69) by Siobhán and Mairead de Paor and Cárcel de Mujeres (Vol. 1 and 2, 1985) and Mujeres en la Resistencia (1968) by Tomasa Cuevas, which commemorated women’s experiences of activism and imprisonment in the Irish Civil War and Spanish Civil War respectively. This article unpacks how militant women on the losing side of civil war navigated the gendered repression and enforced erasure of the post-war Irish Free State and Francoist dictatorship and uses the two case studies to demonstrate that women’s photographic practices enabled them to contest national narratives of war. It thus highlights how women’s testimonial photographic practices, the ways in which they created, re-defined, and circulated images within written memoirs, allowed them to reclaim agency over their experiences of activism and imprisonment and commemorate women who were otherwise erased from official remembrance.

Legacy media outlets also stand in dock over Gaza: How RNZ, ABC and other Western media failed to challenge Israeli war narratives

As Israel faces charges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague of breaching the 1948 Genocide Convention, for many people Western media institutions also stand in the dock. Critics have pointed to a media failure to effectively challenge a narrative that framed Israel’s actions in terms of an erroneous claim to Israeli ‘self-defence’, a de facto diplomatic cover for war crimes, ethnic cleansing and probable acts of genocide. In the Pacific, news leaders at Radio New Zealand (RNZ) and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), by alleged omission, story framing, inaccuracies, passive editorial stances, including a refusal to adjudicate contentious claims when the evidence was available, fall into the category. Such failures call into question claims of due impartiality, a fundamental tenet media outlets use to anchor their credibility as trusted sources of news. Failure to adequately create awareness of Israeli crimes also raises questions over whether state-funded public broadcasters are fulfilling the informational needs of democratic citizenship and serving the public interest, or whether they are serving the interests of a Western power elite.

Soldiers and Victims: David Abrams’ Fobbit

Objectives: This paper aims to examine David Abrams’ Fobbit (2012) in terms of its approach to victimhood and the concept of war victims in the context of the Iraq War in 2003. Methods: The analysis is divided into two main constructs: 'American Victims,’ which examines the novel's representation of American soldiers as victims of war and 'National Victims' which explores the portrayal of Iraqis as war victims. The concept of victimhood is essential to the war narrative because it preserves the right for retribution to the afflicted and assigns responsibility to the other party for the violations. One side is absolved and becomes a victim, while the other is depicted as capable of committing terrible acts. Results: Despite the novel’s attempt to portray the suffering of Iraqis and describe some of the effects of the war on their lives, it also makes them responsible for most of their misery. American soldiers, though partially responsible for some major mistakes, emerge as the most prominent victims of the war in the novel. Conclusions: The study reveals how the image of American soldiers as victims of war dominates the narrative, erasing any presence of others as victims.

The War in Ukraine: Challenges to Just War Doctrines in Eastern Orthodoxy

The sequence and escalation of Russian–Ukrainian political and military conflicts since 2014, culminating in Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, have reopened interest in and debates on just war theory and practice in general and specifically in historic and modern Eastern Orthodox cultures and Orthodox-majority states. These debates have significant repercussions in areas like church–state and church–military relations in these cultures; ecclesial involvement in these conflicts has varied from war-justification rhetoric (in the case of the Russian Orthodox Church) to reiterations of the inherited traditions of ecclesial pacifism/condemnation of all violence (the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, a number of Orthodox Churches, clerical and theological networks, etc.). The Russian ecclesial involvements in the justification of war/military necessity and formulation of just war narratives have triggered divisions and antagonisms in the Eastern Orthodoxy. The development and course of the ecclesial conflicts involving Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox churches and parishes (and other Orthodox ecclesiastic bodies) will show whether Orthodox religious actors may begin to play a more significant role in the articulation and application of newly emerging trends in areas like the theology of just peace, just peace-making and Christian realism, Orthodox social ethics and the dynamic praxis of just peace-making.

Восстановление женственности в городах, подвергшихся воздействию войны: женская активность, пространственнaя субверсия и лингвистическое сопротивление в литературе, созданной авторами-женщинами

This article examines the staging and coding of femininity in literary works focused on cities during wartime, authored by women. Drawing on Judith Butler’s reading of Luce Irigaray and Henri Lefebvre’s The production of space, the analysis centers on the works of Lidiya Ginzburg (Zapiski blokadnogo čeloveka, 1984), Anna Świrszczyńska (Budowałam barykadę, 1974), Zlata Filipović (Le journal de Zlata, 1993), and Yevgenia Belorusets (Anfang des Krieges, 2022). The article argues that these texts challenge abstracting, phallogocentric systems of meaning on two distinct planes. First, they subvert abstract spatial structures forced on urban space by masculine power dynamics, accomplishing this through a perspective that emphasizes the city ‘from below’ and underscores the private, as opposed to the institutional, dimension of urban life. Second, they contest the erasure of the feminine in linguistic structures, shedding light on the oppression experienced by women during war and showcasing narrative and linguistic practices that reclaim agency. The article contends that these four texts not only represent deviations from conventional war narratives but also stage their own female authorship as an appeal against phallogocentric linguistic, spatial, and narrative structures. Consequently, they provide a means to articulate the precarity and marginalization of the feminine within both cities during war and economies of significance wherein the female is subjected to obliteration.

Stories of our Grandmothers: How Modern Ukrainian Women's Literature Deconstructs the Soviet Myth about the Great Patriotic War

The article analyses how contemporary women’s literature deconstructs the Soviet myth of the Great Patriotic War under the influence of contemporary Russian aggression. This myth defined the narrative of World War II as a heroic sacrifice of the Soviet people. As a result, the diversity of experiences was suppressed and the memory of them was not formed. Since independence, Ukrainian culture has been restoring the gaps in history and memory, which has become especially important in the context of the ongoing war. Women’s literature participates in this process by focusing on women’s experiences, which are usually marginalized in the national-focused narrative. This study aims to identify the contribution of women’s literature to the process of decolonization. The object of the study is such women’s novels as The Museum of Abandoned Secrets by Oksana Zabuzhko (as a precursor to the modern treatment of the topic), Amadoka by Sofia Andruhovych, Because it Hurts by Yevgenia Senik, Eva’s Apples by Khrystyna Kotsira and Faride by Iren Rozdobudko. The study found that women’s literature most often addresses the topics of women combatants, deportations, and the Holocaust. In this way, the authors contribute to the process of returning to national history. At the same time, the study demonstrates the complex interaction of nationality and gender in contemporary women’s literature. As women’s literature also contradicts the traditional nationally oriented discourse, emphasizing female agency and appealing to multinational experience (except Ukrainian, Jewish, and Crimean Tatar). This understanding of the theme of the Second World War by contemporary Ukrainian women’s literature creates a context for the perception of the specifically female experience of the current war and resists attempts at ideological manipulation around women’s roles.

On the Educational Significance of Historical Textbooks for Adolescents' Ideological Consciousness, and Their Impact on Sino-Japanese Relations — Taking the Changes in Narrations on the War of Resistance against Japan in Chinese and Japanese History Textbooks as an Example

Significant disparities exist in the narratives of the Sino-Japanese War (1931-1945) as presented in Chinese and Japanese history textbooks. Both countries, influenced by their unique political, economic, and cultural stances, have made diverse revisions to their history textbooks at different times. This paper compares narrative changes in the history textbooks of both countries, contending that textbook revisions aim to shape adolescents' ideological consciousness and historical perspectives, influencing their political socialization tendencies and behaviors. As Japan refashions its historical textbooks, it impedes the young generation's ability to glean insights from history, potentially cultivating a cohort characterized by unwarranted arrogance yet lacking a sense of responsibility. The ongoing discourse surrounding historical textbooks consistently rekindles poignant memories among the Chinese populace, instilling fears of Japan repeating the errors of militarism and consequently, fortifying the younger generation's recollection of a humiliating past. China and Japan, not only wielding significant influence on regional security in East Asia but also playing pivotal roles in global peace and stability, should embrace equitable and amicable exchanges. Such exchanges can foster increased mutual trust and reciprocal benefits, representing the appropriate path for China and Japan, nations separated by a narrow body of water with a longstanding history of friendship.

Writing the Unspeakable: Trauma, Memory, and Resistance in Iraqi War Literature

The paper delves into the profound realm of Iraqi war literature, unraveling its multifaceted dimensions. From capturing the visceral traumas induced by conflict to echoing the resonances of resistance, this literature stands as a testament to the Iraqi people's resilience and defiance. Situating the narrative within historical and sociopolitical contexts, the study underscores the universality of trauma and the tenacity of the human spirit. Drawing parallels with global war literature, it highlights shared human experiences across cultures and histories. The paper also examines the redemptive power of literature, emphasizing its role in healing and peacebuilding, while illuminating the unique and diverse voices that constitute the Iraqi war narrative. As Iraq looks towards a future of reconciliation and hope, its literature not only serves as a historical record but also as a beacon, illuminating paths of empathy, understanding, and peace.

Renewing the Cold War Narrative of “Special” Anglo-American Relations: Commemoration, Performance, and the American Bicentennial

Abstract This article uses the U.S. bicentennial as a case study to develop two themes about U.S.-British relations in the 1970s. First, the performative framework of commemoration was of considerable importance to the “special relationship.” The U.S. and British governments effectively used the bicentennial of an Anglo-American war to enact and popularize a distinctly useful historical narrative—a story of bilateral unity and strength, shared culture, eternal peace, and friendship—that was useful during the Cold War. Commemoration of the bicentennial signaled British recognition that historical and cultural ties offered a robust source of influence in Washington. Second, as the zenith of Anglo-American cooperation during World War II faded in collective memory, the political salience of commemorative events increased during the Cold War. They became contributory to and constitutive of a continually renewing public narrative of “special” Anglo-American relations that interwove times past, present, and future.

Gorkha Women as Forgotten Heroes in the Gorkha War Narratives

This paper aims to focus on how Gorkha women are left behind the curtain in terms of their role in the war history where their male Gorkhas’ bravery only is prioritized. When we turn the pages of the Anglo-Nepal Wars (1814-1816), the writers confidently say that the Gorkha warriors are back supported by women as well as children. However, they are shadowed by the description of the ferocious war performance of male Gorkha warriors such as Bir Bala Bhadra Kunwar, Amar Singh Thapa, Bhakti Thapa and so on. The only question is who the women warriors there are to support them attacking the English troops. Similarly, the Gorkhas serve the British Army and fight for Britain. For a long period during wars, they do not return home. During their service period, their wives remain at home to run all the family affairs such as raising children, caring the old parents, and cultivating land. The wives of those who die, get injured, and go missing have a burden of running family economy. They are compelled to keep all things well in the family. So, are not the Gorkha women as heroes as their male folks? The answer is sure to be- ‘Yes, they are’. This paper will certainly help future researchers in the area and also the government to manage new rules and concepts regarding Gorkha issues.