Mastering Soldiers
eBook - PDF

Mastering Soldiers

Conflict, Emotions, and the Enemy in an Israeli Army Unit

  1. 160 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Mastering Soldiers

Conflict, Emotions, and the Enemy in an Israeli Army Unit

About this book

Studies of the military that deal with the actual experience of troops in the field are still rare in the social sciences. In fact, this ethnographic study of an elite unit in the Israeli Defense Force is the only one of its kind. As an officer of this unit and a professional anthropologist, the author was ideally positioned for his role as participant observer. During the eight years he spent with his unit he focused primarily on such notions as "conflict", "the enemy", and "soldiering" because they are, he argues, the key points of reference for "what we are" and "what we are trying to do" and form the basis for interpreting the environment within which armies operate. Relying on the latest anthropological approaches to cognitive models and the social constructions of emotion and masculinity, the author offers an in-depth analysis of the dynamics that drive the men's attitudes and behavior, and a rare and fascinating insight into the reality of military life.

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Yes, you can access Mastering Soldiers by Eyal Ben-Ari in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Middle Eastern Politics. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. MASTERING SOLDIERS
  2. CONTENTS
  3. PREFACE
  4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  5. INTRODUCTION
  6. INTERLUDE 1: THE TENOR OF MILITARY LANGUAGE
  7. 1. THE MILITARY, ANTHROPOLOGY, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
  8. INTERLUDE 2: CAMARADERIE AND FELLOWSHIP
  9. 2. THE UNIT: AN INFANTRY BATTALION
  10. INTERLUDE 3: ACTION, FEAR, AND FIGHTING MEN
  11. 3. A MODEL OF COMBAT: SOLDIERING AND EMOTIONAL CONTROL
  12. INTERLUDE 4: IN THE FIELD
  13. 4. THE MODEL IN USE: THE BATTALION AND OTHER UNITS
  14. INTERLUDE 5: SOLDIERING THE INTIFADA
  15. 5. ENEMIES
  16. INTERLUDE 6: A LETTER TO THE MEN
  17. 6. MODELS OF MOTIVATION
  18. INTERLUDE 7: THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN OFFICERS AND MEN
  19. 7. CIVILIAN LIVES: EMOTIONS, CONTROL, AND MANHOOD
  20. INTERLUDE 8: STRAIGHT TALK AND FEELINGS
  21. 8. CONCLUDING CONSIDERATIONS
  22. EPILOGUE: MY ISRAELI MILITARY: A DISAPPEARING WORLD?
  23. APPENDIX I
  24. APPENDIX II
  25. APPENDIX III
  26. BIBLIOGRAPHY
  27. INDEX