scholarly journals Saying no to military service – obligation, killing and inequality as experienced problems in conscription-based military in Finland

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2019) ◽  
pp. 46-57
Author(s):  
Jarkko Kosonen ◽  
Puustinen Alisa ◽  
Tallberg Teemu
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Dual Identity ◽  
Citizen Soldiers ◽  
Special Weight

Abstract While studying citizen-soldiers, their dual identity as a soldier and a civilian have been highlighted. A citizen-soldier’s role is linked to citizenship and its obligation. The dual identity or critical voices of conscription or reserve forces have neither been recognized in research nor been debated publicly in Finland. The aim of this article is to analyse the reasons why some conscripts raise critical voices concerning their relationship with conscription and their role as reservists. The study is based on the interviews of 38 non-military service men and 33 men who resigned from the reserve in 2017. The data was analysed using content analysis. According to the results, the main problems with regard to conscription and armed defence, among the conscripts, relate to inequality of the conscription system, obligation to serve and lack of discretion. For individual conscripts as citizen-soldiers, the problem of killing has special weight when they reflect upon their own role in the possible act of war. Conscripts and their expertise could be used more extensively in a wider range of security-related issues than in armed defence alone.

Factors influencing the implementation of electronic records and information management

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-99
Author(s):  
Azlan Long Abdullah ◽  
Zawiyah Mohammad Yusof ◽  
Umi Asma Mokhtar
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Electronic Records ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Record Keeping

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore, identify and gain insight into factors related to electronic records and information management (e-RIM) issues and their influence on the implementation of e-RIM initiative in military service in Malaysia. This exploration was conducted via a literature review and case study. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative approach and used a case study involving two army departments in Malaysia. Interviews triangulated by document content analysis and observations were used for data collection. The data were analysed using a directional content analysis approach. Findings This study reveals that people, organizations, technology and processes are the interrelated contexts underlying e-RIM issues which inevitably influence the implementation of e-RIM initiatives. Competency and leadership, governance structure, culture and strategic planning, technology development and record-keeping process are the main factors impacting such efforts, in turn forming potential obstacles for organizations implementing such initiatives. Research limitations/implications The research approach and design adopted and the sample size were insufficient for generalization of the findings. Practical implications This study shows that e-RIM initiatives pose greater challenges related to various issues that cause difficulties in improving and implementing the initiative. Thus, it is crucial for organizations to ascertain and comprehend the factors that influence e-RIM initiatives prior to formulating strategies and approaches in addressing those factors, which would in turn affect the implementation of e-RIM initiatives. Originality/value This study provides insights into the fundamental factors embracing the e-RIM issues which influence the initiatives, and thereby fosters further discussion and research in the subject matter in Malaysia.

Coping With Imminent Death: Thematic Content Analysis on Narratives by Japanese Soldiers in World War II

2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-301
Author(s):  
Enoch Leung ◽  
Amanda Chalupa
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Ways Of Coping ◽  
Thematic Content Analysis ◽  
Thematic Content ◽  
Imminent Death ◽  
The Military

Coping affects somatic and psychological outcomes. This article explores narratives in a book, Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers, which report on the ways of coping used by each kamikaze participant before and during military service. The purpose of this study is to observe the possibility of a trend in coping strategies and consider how these trends inform us about other populations facing imminent death. This study analyzed data and extracted meaning from the narratives in the book (thematic content analysis). Within the thematic content analysis, the Ways of Coping scale was used, which describes the coping strategies people use when facing problems. The most frequently used coping strategies before they entered the military were “Accept Responsibility,” “Endurance/Obedience/Effort,” and “Self-Control,” while once in the military, they were “Accept Responsibility” and “Endurance/Obedience/Effort.” All the coping strategies used by kamikaze pilots appeared to focus on the passive self, which may be the type of coping in other populations facing death.

Rethinking second-century BC military service: the speech of Spurius Ligustinus

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-228
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Biglino
Keyword(s):  
Military Service ◽  
Second Century ◽  
Careful Examination ◽  
Third Century ◽  
Roman Army ◽  
Citizen Soldiers

AbstractSeveral elements suggest that Polybius’ description of the Roman army in Book VI of his Histories depicts a rather outdated military system, making it hard to accept it as an up-to-date portrait of the legions by the mid-second century BC. After all, the Roman army had been experiencing a series of changes since the mid-third century that were affecting both the army’ structure and how citizens experienced military service. This paper argues that the famous episode of Spurius Ligustinus (Livy 42.34) contains several suggestions about the nature of these changes and their social ramifications. Although Livy embellished his source for rhetorical reasons, this episode still offers crucial evidence not only on the Roman army but especially, through the figure of Ligustinus himself, on the mid-Republican citizen-soldiers. Through a careful examination of key sections of this episode this paper aims to explore how, by this point, the army already presented features traditionally associated with Gaius Marius and his reforms, thus further emphasizing the outdatedness of Polybius’ description. By offering the very unique profile of an individual Roman citizen of the mid-second century and his relationship with military service, the speech of Ligustinus depicts a more believable and up-to-date representation of military service during the crucial decades of Roman Mediterranean expansion.

Waging War and Marriage: Military Service and Family Formation, 1940–1950

1988 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Modell ◽  
Duane Steffey
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Family Formation ◽  
American Family ◽  
World War ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Citizen Soldiers ◽  
Attractive Option ◽  
Armed Services ◽  
Do So

World War II represented a substantial mobilization of American resources, including human resources. Despite the obvious hindrances it posed to marriage, nuptiality on the whole did not slow down during the war. Among the reasons it did not do so was a government policy designed to conserve the already-formed families of soldiers, which also made marriage an economically attractive option to young women. For citizen soldiers, wartime marriage was not simply economically feasible. It was as well an action that connected them with the civilian life that they had reluctantly left. Marriage, moreover, was an action congruent with and promoted by success in the unusual occupational context of the armed services Even after the war, wartime military service proved to be congruent with marriage, veterans being more prone—after a brief lag—to marry. Often portrayed as a war in defense of the American family, World War II seems to have produced patterns that included surprising degrees of continuity with family formation.

Making Citizen-Soldiers: ROTC and the Ideology of American Military Service

2000 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 1215
Author(s):  
John Wands Sacca ◽  
Michael S. Neiberg
Keyword(s):  
Military Service ◽  
American Military ◽  
Citizen Soldiers
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