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Mastering Soldiers

Mastering Soldiers

Eyal Ben-Ari

(1998)

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Abstract

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.


"The insight into soldiers' language a an expression of their understanding of soldiering, citizenship, and manhood that [this book] allows, and the inspiration for further inquiry, are ... valuable."  · H-Net Reviews (H-War)


Eyal Ben-Ari is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
MASTERING SOLDIERS i
CONTENTS vii
PREFACE ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xii
INTRODUCTION 1
INTERLUDE 1: THE TENOR OF MILITARY LANGUAGE 11
1. THE MILITARY, ANTHROPOLOGY, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE 16
INTERLUDE 2: CAMARADERIE AND FELLOWSHIP 25
2. THE UNIT: AN INFANTRY BATTALION 29
INTERLUDE 3: ACTION, FEAR, AND FIGHTING MEN 33
3. A MODEL OF COMBAT: SOLDIERING AND EMOTIONAL CONTROL 36
INTERLUDE 4: IN THE FIELD 53
4. THE MODEL IN USE: THE BATTALION AND OTHER UNITS 55
INTERLUDE 5: SOLDIERING THE INTIFADA 75
5. ENEMIES 79
INTERLUDE 6: A LETTER TO THE MEN 92
6. MODELS OF MOTIVATION 95
INTERLUDE 7: THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN OFFICERS AND MEN 108
7. CIVILIAN LIVES: EMOTIONS, CONTROL, AND MANHOOD 110
INTERLUDE 8: STRAIGHT TALK AND FEELINGS 122
8. CONCLUDING CONSIDERATIONS 124
EPILOGUE: MY ISRAELI MILITARY: A DISAPPEARING WORLD? 128
APPENDIX I 134
APPENDIX II 141
APPENDIX III 144
BIBLIOGRAPHY 146
INDEX 156