Passions of War: Cross-disiplinary Perspectives on Gender, Sexuality and Conflict
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leicester
Department Name: English
Abstract
The 'Passions of War' network will advance research on the relations between war, gender and sexuality from the early modern period to the end of the Second World War. At a time when debates about the status of female soldiers (Goldstein, 2003), 'Gays in the Military' (Belkin and Bateman, 2003; Shilts, 2005; Rimmerman, 2013), and soldiers identifying as trans* (Snyder, 1999) have come increasingly to preoccupy scholars, politicians, military leaders and legislators, a research network dedicated to exploring the historicity of these debates is both timely and necessary.
The research Network brings together EU and international participants, representing a range of academic disciplines and professional backgrounds, to investigate the influence of war on constructions of gender and sexual practices, and how these constructions and practices have, in turn, conditioned the ways in which wars are waged, mediated, felt and understood. A distinguishing feature of the Network will be the re-examination of standard accounts of war, gender and sexuality in the light of alternative, emergent and marginalised histories. An emphasis on the discovery of new facts about the history of gender, sexuality and war, as well as on innovative approaches to the interpretation of historical data, is central to the project's cross- and multi-disciplinary rationale.
Across the two-year duration of the project, participants will take part in a series of themed day-long interactive workshops (2 x one-day + 1 x two-day events) focussing on the presentation and evaluation of relevant new research findings. Specifically, the workshops will invite participants to ask:
- How, and in what ways, have attitudes to gender and sexuality in relation to war changed over time?
- Were attitudes to non-normative gender identities and sexual practices during wartime more or less tolerant at different stages in the past?
- How do questions of gender and sexuality bear on questions of military and civilian identity?
- In what ways are expressions of non-normative sexuality and alternative forms of gender identity repressed or enabled during wartime?
- To what extent does war challenge, modify or support normative family relations, friendships between the sexes, and traditional conceptions
of love?
Outcomes from these workshops will be published as essays and articles in a variety of formats, including an edited book of essays and a special edition of an academic journal adhering to the principles of 'open access'. Participants will also engage in dialogue with key non-academic beneficiaries, ranging from museum professionals to schools and members of the armed services. Additional materials arising from the project, such as blogs and teaching materials, will be made available to these beneficiaries through a range of media, including web pages, posters, podcasts, webinars and contributions to themed museum displays in London and Ghent.
The Network will consolidate informal links with the following research groups and organisations: Group for Early Modern Studies (GEMS, Ghent University), Amsterdam Centre for Comparative Emotion and Sensory Studies (ACCESS, VU University), the Museum Dr Guislain (Ghent) and the National Army Museum (London). The creation of a supportive environment to sustain dialogue beyond the life of the project will ensure that any additional outputs continue to be 'fit for purpose'. This will be done through the development of an electronic contact list and newsletter, facilitated by the PI at the University of Leicester.
The project has significant policy relevance, because as the psychologist Paul Gade has commented in a discussion of the influence of academic research on the repeal of the US 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' law: "in each case where nations had removed bans on gays and lesbians serving in their country's military, they did so because their culture had become liberalized toward gays and lesbians".
The research Network brings together EU and international participants, representing a range of academic disciplines and professional backgrounds, to investigate the influence of war on constructions of gender and sexual practices, and how these constructions and practices have, in turn, conditioned the ways in which wars are waged, mediated, felt and understood. A distinguishing feature of the Network will be the re-examination of standard accounts of war, gender and sexuality in the light of alternative, emergent and marginalised histories. An emphasis on the discovery of new facts about the history of gender, sexuality and war, as well as on innovative approaches to the interpretation of historical data, is central to the project's cross- and multi-disciplinary rationale.
Across the two-year duration of the project, participants will take part in a series of themed day-long interactive workshops (2 x one-day + 1 x two-day events) focussing on the presentation and evaluation of relevant new research findings. Specifically, the workshops will invite participants to ask:
- How, and in what ways, have attitudes to gender and sexuality in relation to war changed over time?
- Were attitudes to non-normative gender identities and sexual practices during wartime more or less tolerant at different stages in the past?
- How do questions of gender and sexuality bear on questions of military and civilian identity?
- In what ways are expressions of non-normative sexuality and alternative forms of gender identity repressed or enabled during wartime?
- To what extent does war challenge, modify or support normative family relations, friendships between the sexes, and traditional conceptions
of love?
Outcomes from these workshops will be published as essays and articles in a variety of formats, including an edited book of essays and a special edition of an academic journal adhering to the principles of 'open access'. Participants will also engage in dialogue with key non-academic beneficiaries, ranging from museum professionals to schools and members of the armed services. Additional materials arising from the project, such as blogs and teaching materials, will be made available to these beneficiaries through a range of media, including web pages, posters, podcasts, webinars and contributions to themed museum displays in London and Ghent.
The Network will consolidate informal links with the following research groups and organisations: Group for Early Modern Studies (GEMS, Ghent University), Amsterdam Centre for Comparative Emotion and Sensory Studies (ACCESS, VU University), the Museum Dr Guislain (Ghent) and the National Army Museum (London). The creation of a supportive environment to sustain dialogue beyond the life of the project will ensure that any additional outputs continue to be 'fit for purpose'. This will be done through the development of an electronic contact list and newsletter, facilitated by the PI at the University of Leicester.
The project has significant policy relevance, because as the psychologist Paul Gade has commented in a discussion of the influence of academic research on the repeal of the US 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' law: "in each case where nations had removed bans on gays and lesbians serving in their country's military, they did so because their culture had become liberalized toward gays and lesbians".
Planned Impact
The non-academic beneficiaries of the Network include museum practitioners and professionals, schools, service men and women and the general public. The lead members of the Network have considerable experience of working with research project beneficiaries, (Philip Shaw with Tate Britain and the British Library and Cornelis Van der Haven with Centraal Museum Utrecht and Museum Berlin-Neukölln), with further expertise in national and international knowledge exchange collaborations brought by the Project partners (ACCESS, GEMS, the National Army Museum and the Museum Dr. Guislain). The design of the project has been guided by the contributions of academic and non-academic beneficiaries from the outset. The day-to-day running of the Network will continue in this spirit to ensure that research outputs are fully embedded in the relevant communities and that value-added Knowledge Exchange collaborative ventures arising from the project are developed and sustained in the future.
MUSEUM PRACTITIONERS AND PROFESSIONALS (NAM, Leicester Museums and the Guislain Museum) will gain from participation in workshops and dialogue with academics, fellow museum practitioners and professionals and related beneficiaries. The workshop series will raise awareness of the history of war in relation to questions of gender and sexuality and opportunities will be created for further collaborative ventures, e.g. displays, exhibitions, conferences and public events. Research findings from the four workshops will inform scheduled discussions with museum practitioners from the Dr Guislain Museum and the National Army Museum. A key aim of the project is to have input into the design of thematic displays, e.g. the revamped 'The Soldier' gallery at the National Army Museum scheduled for completion in 2016, and exhibitions on war, shame and melancholia at the Dr Guislain Museum.The impact is enhanced by the cross section of national and international practitioners and professionals recruited as Network participants, which represent a broad range of national and international, local and metropolitan, subject foci and charitable statuses.
SCHOOLS will benefit from the input of Network participants in the design and execution of educational resources suitable for Key Stages 3 and 4. Research findings will be made available through the Schools OUT website, the LGBT History Month and other suitable web-based resources. These resources will allow beneficiaries to engage with the ways that gender, sexuality, and emotion in wartime is expressed in different historical periods. Opportunities will be created for further collaborative work, e.g. schools liaison, curriculum development, assemblies and webinars.
STUDENTS of the participating universities will benefit from the Network by participation in the workshops and cooperation with museum partners. Teaching practice may be involved, for instance, during the arrangement of the above mentioned displays of sources. Accompanying doctoral and MA seminars will present opportunities for students to participate in the workshop series and to help with its organisation. Where possible the Network will contribute to the AHRC Midlands Three Cities doctoral training programme.
SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN will be invited to participate in workshops, with further opportunities for dialogue and collaboration developed through contacts with the Army LGBT Forum, Proud2Serve and the Dutch SHK Foundation. The opportunity to present project research findings at the annual Army LGBT conference and through the web-based P2S Forum are key components of the Network's impact strategy. The Network will encourage service men and women to become involved with its activities at every stage, helping participating scholars to become aware of the topical relevance of issues discussed during the workshops.
MUSEUM PRACTITIONERS AND PROFESSIONALS (NAM, Leicester Museums and the Guislain Museum) will gain from participation in workshops and dialogue with academics, fellow museum practitioners and professionals and related beneficiaries. The workshop series will raise awareness of the history of war in relation to questions of gender and sexuality and opportunities will be created for further collaborative ventures, e.g. displays, exhibitions, conferences and public events. Research findings from the four workshops will inform scheduled discussions with museum practitioners from the Dr Guislain Museum and the National Army Museum. A key aim of the project is to have input into the design of thematic displays, e.g. the revamped 'The Soldier' gallery at the National Army Museum scheduled for completion in 2016, and exhibitions on war, shame and melancholia at the Dr Guislain Museum.The impact is enhanced by the cross section of national and international practitioners and professionals recruited as Network participants, which represent a broad range of national and international, local and metropolitan, subject foci and charitable statuses.
SCHOOLS will benefit from the input of Network participants in the design and execution of educational resources suitable for Key Stages 3 and 4. Research findings will be made available through the Schools OUT website, the LGBT History Month and other suitable web-based resources. These resources will allow beneficiaries to engage with the ways that gender, sexuality, and emotion in wartime is expressed in different historical periods. Opportunities will be created for further collaborative work, e.g. schools liaison, curriculum development, assemblies and webinars.
STUDENTS of the participating universities will benefit from the Network by participation in the workshops and cooperation with museum partners. Teaching practice may be involved, for instance, during the arrangement of the above mentioned displays of sources. Accompanying doctoral and MA seminars will present opportunities for students to participate in the workshop series and to help with its organisation. Where possible the Network will contribute to the AHRC Midlands Three Cities doctoral training programme.
SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN will be invited to participate in workshops, with further opportunities for dialogue and collaboration developed through contacts with the Army LGBT Forum, Proud2Serve and the Dutch SHK Foundation. The opportunity to present project research findings at the annual Army LGBT conference and through the web-based P2S Forum are key components of the Network's impact strategy. The Network will encourage service men and women to become involved with its activities at every stage, helping participating scholars to become aware of the topical relevance of issues discussed during the workshops.
Publications
Bates R
(2019)
Exposing wounds: Joseph Cundall and Robert Howlett's royal assignment
in Critical Military Studies
Carden-Coyne A
(2019)
Butterfly touch: rehabilitation, nature and the haptic arts in the First World War
in Critical Military Studies
De Bruyn Y
(2018)
'Help! Help! War wants to rape me!': War and Rape in a Dutch Peace Play of 1678
in Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies
Füssel M
(2018)
Between Dissimulation and Sensation: Female Soldiers in Eighteenth-Century Warfare Female Soldiers
in Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies
Grant S
(2019)
The kindness of strangers: soldiers, surgeons, civilians, and conflict intimacies in the American Civil War
in Critical Military Studies
Martin B
(2018)
Military Mates: From Revolutionary Fraternity to Napoleonic Intimacy in the Memoirs of Sergeant Faucheur
in Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies
Maurer K
(2018)
Affective Battlefields: Royal Gender Hybridity and the Cultural Afterlife of Friedrich II
in Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies
Meyer J
(2019)
Medicos, poultice wallahs and comrades in service: masculinity and military medicine in Britain during the First World War.
in Critical military studies
Noakes L
(2019)
Valuing the dead: death, burial, and the body in Second World War Britain
in Critical Military Studies
Ramsey N
(2018)
'To Die as a Soldier': The Vital Romance of the Military Novel
in Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies
| Description | This project has concluded. From 2015-2017 five workshops took place at the Dr. Guislain Museum in Ghent, the University of Leicester, and the National Army Museum. The Ghent workshop provided an opportunity for British, Dutch, Belgium and German scholars, from a range of disciplines in the arts and humanities, as well as curators and museum professionals from Britain and Belgium, to present research and engage in dialogue relevant to the aims of the project. Key achievements include: new knowledge on the following topics: Masculinity and Military Medicine in Britain During and After the First World War; Legacies of World War Two for Contemporary British Identities and Civil-Military Relations; Female Soldiers on 18th-Century Battlefields; Gender and the Citizen-Soldier in the Dutch Patriot Revolution (1780-1800); Women and War in British Poetry of the Romantic Period. Historians and Literature specialists were able to compare and contrast methodological approaches to conducting research into gender, sexuality and war; collective acknowledgement of the importance of media representations in driving changing attitudes to gender, sexuality and conflict. Museum curators from the National Army Museum were able to assess an exhibition on the history of war trauma and engage in dialogue with curators at the Dr. Guislain Museum. This dialogue will hopefully lead to further collaborative work between the two museums. Significant findings included: the hitherto unacknowledged roles played by women in military actions taking place in Europe in the eighteenth century (c.f. female soldiers and the participation of women in Dutch militias); the significance of poetry written by women in shaping attitudes to war in the Napoleonic period; the ambivalent status of male military nurses in writing and iconography of the First World War. Significant collaborative and outreach work: the workshop included a presentation and discussion with curators from the Dr. Guislain Museum about the exposition 'War and Trauma: Soldiers and Psychiatrists 1914-2014' and a public lecture by James Wharton focussed on his memoir, 'Out in the Army' (2014). The lecture was attended by 42 people. The workshops held in 2016 at the University of Leicester took place over two days and involved scholars and museum professionals from America, Denmark, Australia and Belgium as well the UK. Key achievements include: new knowledge on the following topics: the formation of military masculinities from the late seventeenth century to the end of the First World War; the role of gender in informing the representation of civilian wounded in World War Two; the representation of intimacy between soldiers during the long eighteenth century. Significant findings included: new insight into how wounded soldiers in the American Civil War and wounded civilians in Britain in World War Two were represented in terms of gender and sexuality; the part played by imagery in fashioning and in some cases challenging ideals of the masculine soldier in Dutch and German culture during the long nineteenth century; the gendering of representations of evacuees in Britain during World War Two; nurses autograph albums from the University of Leicester collection foregrounded the significance of gender and sexuality in informing relations between wounded men and their carers in military hospitals in World War One. Representatives from the National Army Museum participated fully in the workshops, providing new perspectives based on curatorial expertise on the work presented by historians and literary scholars. The PI and CI, together with other members of the network, discussed impact opportunities, including: a sixth-form study day at the National Army Museum; liaison with SchoolsOut; participation in the Historicising LGBTQ Lives conference at the Imperial War Museum (North) on 25/02/2015. Due to delayed refurbishment of the National Army Museum the fourth workshop was held at a conference venue on Euston Road, London. Key achievements include: new knowledge on gender, sexuality and war in the Dutch Indies; hope, conflict, and violence in Dutch peace poetry, 1648-1815; war and the sexualised body in British regency caricatures; the representation of wounded soldiers in World War One; same sex relationships between Dutch civilians and Allied and Nazi soldiers during World War Two. Significant findings include: the central significance of the image of the violated female body in Dutch literature and visual media of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; the use of bawdy in British Regency graphic satires as a tool for critiquing war; the varying ways in which wounded British soldiers in World War One were presented as abject and/or as objects of desire; the ways in which homosexual Dutch civilians expressed and negotiated their identities during the Nazi occupation. Representatives from the National Army Museum participated fully in the workshops, providing new perspectives on the museum's collections with a particular focus on soldiers and sexual liaisons with civilians, and the representation of women during wartime. The final workshop held at the University of Leicester facilitated dialogue between academic participants, members of the public, representatives from the Army LGBT Forum and museum professionals. |
| Exploitation Route | In accordance with the Pathways to Impact statement the project is intended to foster meaningful and sustained collaborations with academic and non-academic partners. Likely outputs will include: co-authored/edited papers; conferences; on-going participation in Army LBGT conferences. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Security and Diplomacy |
| URL | http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/english/research/passions-of-war |
| Description | To date, the network has provided a platform for James Wharton to present selections from his memoir of life in the British Army as a gay soldier to members of the public and museum professionals at the Dr Guislain Museum in Ghent. The presentation led to discussion between academics, museum professionals and members of the public about the contemporary and past significance of LGBTQ military lives. A creative writing workshop took place at the University of Leicester on 25 March 2017 with participants from the Army LGBT Forum, museum professionals from the National Army Museum and student ambassadors from the School of History at the University of Leicester. The workshop initiated dialogue between academic and non-academic participants and helped all participants to explore the potential of different approaches to writing for research and creative purposes. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |
| Description | Passions of War: Museum Collaborations |
| Organisation | Museum Dr. Guislain |
| Country | Belgium |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The PI and CI brokered a relationship with the Dr. Guislain Museum in Ghent. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Dr. Guislain Museum provided conference facilities and refreshments for a one-day workshop. This workshop included a public lecture by the author James Wharton that was attended by 42 members of the public. |
| Impact | Papers delivered at this workshop were written as articles for two special issues of the Journal of Eighteenth Century Studies and Critical Military Studies. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Passions of War: Museum Collaborations |
| Organisation | National Army Museum |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The National Army Museum offered in-kind contributions for the fourth workshop, i.e. conference facilities and refreshments. This workshop was hosted at a conference venue on the Euston road, London, due to the on-going refurbishment of the museum. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Identifying and commissioning an alternative venue for the workshop. |
| Impact | A multi-disciplinary workshop leading to contributions to two special issues of Journal of Eighteenth Century Studies and Critical Military Studies. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Network event at the University of Leicester on 25 March 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Writing Military Lives: Gender, Sexuality, and the Armed Forces. This workshop took place at the University of Leicester on 25 March 2017. It was organised by the AHRC Network Passions of War: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Gender, Sexuality, and Conflict, 1550-1945, in association with the University of Leicester, Ghent University, Dr. Guislain Museum, and the National Army Museum. The workshop provided an occasion for academic participants (Emma Vickers, Matthew McCormack, Lucy Noakes, Susan-Mary Grant, Eve Rosenhaft, Jessica Meyer, Maggie Andrews and Philip Shaw) to discuss their research and to engage in dialogue with members of the public, museum professionals (Alistair Massie of the National Army Museum) and representatives from the Army LGBT forum (James Wharton and Major Rob Ridley). The day began with brief presentations by academic participants explaining how their research had developed as a result of their engagement with the Network. In the afternoon, James Wharton gave a talk reflecting on the experiences that informed the writing of his autobiography, 'Out in the Army'. This talk was followed by a creative writing session, facilitated by Jane Adams of De Montfort University, that enabled participants to reflect on how different kinds of writing could be used to convey 'unofficial knowledge' about the experiences of LGBT+ service people. The workshop ended with informal discussions between the participants. Feedback from academic participants revealed that they felt able to incorporate different styles of writing into their research as a result of their participation in the creative writing activity, and that talking with members of the Army LGBT Forum had offered a new perspective on their understanding of the lived experiences of LGBT+ service people. Members of the public reported that they had been inspired by the event and that the knowledge and skills they had acquired would inform their own creative writing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/english/research/passions-of-war |