Disillusionment in Afghanistan A five country study into plots by soldier-authors

Cause Eventuele voettekst

Disillusionment Photo: www.conservativehome.blogs.com It is often said that the majority of stories written by war veterans in the 20th century are disillusionment plots. The romantic image of war is substituted during the twentieth century by an image of war as hell and soldiers are no longer heroes but are seen as victims. It is described by Herzog as a typical reaction of soldiers who: … enter war with this sense of adventure and innocence shaped by cultural myths, an older generation’s war stories, and society’s beliefs about war as a rite of passage and a test of character and courage.(Herzog 1992: 4) Or as Harari puts it: Therefore many junior-rank memoirists set themselves a utopian mission of replacing the fictional image of war with a true image, hoping thereby to prevent future generations from going to war (Harari 2004: 91-92). Is this still visible, the dominant discourse in the twenty-first century? This process takes place on different moments, for different countries: UK: WW1 US: Vietnam GE: WW2 ? NE: Srebrenica ? Will it still be visible in all these countries? Photo: www.conservativehome.blogs.com Eventuele voettekst

Research question Do military-authors from different countries write different plots? WHO: military-authors WHAT: plots Eventuele voettekst

Agenda - Research question - Scope Results: Who Plot: methodology Friedman Results: What Conclusion Research into books that military authors from different countries write. Eventuele voettekst

Agenda - Research question - Scope Results: Who Plot: methodology Friedman Results: What Conclusion Eventuele voettekst

Scoping: Afghanistan 2001-2010 Eventuele voettekst

Scope: languages Three languages: Dutch, German, English Main Dutch partners Belgium and Australia are omitted due to lack of books Eventuele voettekst

Scoping: autobiography autobiographical biographical Self publication Edited publication Ghost written Written by other In this study, books that are ghost written are only included when the copyright of the book is owned at least partially by the soldier-author, and on the cover the soldier author is mentioned as the first writer and the ghost writer second. However, when the preface indicates that the soldier-author was interviewed by the ghost writer and did hardly any writing himself or herself, the book will still be excluded. A book such as Immediate Response, that according to the cover is written by Major Mark Hammond, according to the inside cover by Mark Hammond with Clare Macnaughton and according to the copyright by Clare Macnaughton is omitted from our scope. Plot DisGrow * Ghost Crosstabulation Count Ghost Total yes no Plot DisGrow Disillusionment 0 21 21 Growth 3 13 16 Rest 5 11 16 Total 8 45 53 Pearson Chi-Square 7,159a 2 ,028 Eventuele voettekst

Scoping: autobiography A book such as Immediate Response, that according to the cover is written by Major Mark Hammond, according to the inside cover by Mark Hammond with Clare Macnaughton and according to the copyright by Clare Macnaughton is omitted from our scope. Eventuele voettekst

Definition This study will concentrate on non-fiction, autobiographical books, written between 2001 and 2010 in Dutch, English or German that (mainly) deal with the deployment experiences of Western military personnel in Afghanistan and are intended for the public at large. Eventuele voettekst

Country # Books The Netherlands 7 Germany United States 22 Definition Country # Books The Netherlands 7 Germany United States 22 United Kingdom 15 Canada 3 Total 54 Three main methods were used: lists, library searches and book website searches. Eventuele voettekst

Agenda - Research question - Scope Results: Who Plot: methodology Friedman Results: What Conclusion Eventuele voettekst

Who: Rank Mean age: 40 Eventuele voettekst Rank Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid OR-1 1 1,9 1,9 1,9 OR-2 1 1,9 1,9 3,7 OR-4 2 3,7 3,7 7,4 OR-5 5 9,3 9,3 16,7 OR-6 2 3,7 3,7 20,4 OR-7 3 5,6 5,6 25,9 OR-8 1 1,9 1,9 27,8 OR-9 2 3,7 3,7 31,5 warrant officer US 1 1,9 1,9 33,3 lieutenant 4 7,4 7,4 40,7 captain 14 25,9 25,9 66,7 major 9 16,7 16,7 83,3 lieutenant-colonel 8 14,8 14,8 98,1 colonel 1 1,9 1,9 100,0 Total 54 100,0 100,0 Military Category Valid senior officer 18 33,3 33,3 33,3 junior officer 18 33,3 33,3 66,7 NCO 14 25,9 25,9 92,6 junior enlisted 4 7,4 7,4 100,0 Age group Valid 30- 8 14,8 18,6 18,6 30-39 11 20,4 25,6 44,2 40-49 14 25,9 32,6 76,7 50+ 10 18,5 23,3 100,0 Total 43 79,6 100,0 Missing 99 11 20,4 Total 54 100,0 Blood makes the grass grow: he is a private, but has a master in criminology. Mean age: 40 Eventuele voettekst

Who: profession (kinetic) Use of weapon mainly as self-defense (non-kinetic) or offensive (kinetic) Kinetic Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid kinetic 33 61,1 61,1 61,1 non-kinetic 21 38,9 38,9 100,0 Total 54 100,0 100,0 Eventuele voettekst

Who: professionals vs reserves Status Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid professional 37 68,5 69,8 69,8 reserve 16 29,6 30,2 100,0 Total 53 98,1 100,0 Missing 99 1 1,9 Total 54 100,0 % reservist # expected # real W-T (W-T)2 Chi2 NL 7 12,50% 0,88 5 4,12 17,0139 19,43982 * determined only by NL! GE 7 9,50% 0,67 2 1,34 1,782225 2,680038 UK 15 1,10% 0,17 0 -0,17 0,027225 0,165 US 22 35,80% 7,88 9 1,12 1,263376 0,160408 CAN 3 29,30% 0,88 0 -0,88 0,772641 0,879 23,32427 with 4 degrees of freedom >13,28 so 99% significant Eventuele voettekst

Who: still working for MoD? Work RC Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid yes 24 44,4 48,0 48,0 no 26 48,1 52,0 100,0 Total 50 92,6 100,0 Missing 99 4 7,4 Total 54 100,0 Eventuele voettekst

Agenda - Research question - Scope Results: Who Plot: methodology Friedman Results: What Conclusion Do military-authors from different countries write different plots? Eventuele voettekst

Friedman Based on: Friedman (1955) Forms of the Plot, p 242-253 Disillusionment: a sympathetic protagonist starts out in the full bloom of faith in a certain set of ideals and, after being subjected to some kind of loss, threat or trail, loses that faith entirely. (Friedman p 252) A deep change of worldview from the positive to the negative (McKee p 81) Why Friedman: Very concrete, analytical system, not vague, no overlaps (flow charts) Specifically aimed at disillusionment plots (disillusionment & degeneration) Friedman’s system at the basis of the twenty-five categories that screenwriters currently use to distinguish film genres (McKee p 80-86) Disadvantage of that system is that its vague and overlapping Also in standard work on literature (el texto narrativo) Based on: Friedman (1955) Forms of the Plot, p 242-253 Eventuele voettekst

Friedman

Friedman Gebaseerd op: Friedman (1955) Forms of the Plot, p 242-253 Maturing plot: (parafrasering) a change in character for the better, ‘frequently involving the coming-of-age of young people’ (Friedman p 250) The coming-of-age- story (McKee p 81) (p258) Afghanistan, Kabul and many people have changed my life. This deployment not only has given my a new way of looking at the world, but it has also brought me experiences which I will never ever forget, for which I am grateful. (245) And I have also changed. A change for which I am grateful. It has opened my eyes, and makes that I no longer only move on the surface. (252) I have also learned that life constantly changes. That you should trust in your own ability to handle situations even when you have to go further then ever before. (p258) Afghanistan, Kabul und viele Menschen haben mein Leben verandert. Dieser Einsatz hat mir nicht nur neue Einblicke verschafft, sondern auch Erfarungen vermittlet, die ich nie in meinem Leben vergessen werde. Dabur bin ich sehr dankbar. (p 245) Und ich habe mich verandert. Eine Veranderung, fur die ich dankbar bin. Sie hat mir die Augen geoffnet, mich nicht weiter nur an der Oberglache zu bewegen. (p 252) ich have auch gelernt, dass sich das Leben standig verandert. Dasss man sich auch mal truaen solte, Grenzen zu uberschreien. Gebaseerd op: Friedman (1955) Forms of the Plot, p 242-253 Eventuele voettekst

Agenda - Research question - Scope Results: Who Plot: methodology Friedman Results: What Conclusion Eventuele voettekst

Research question Do military-authors from different countries write different plots? WHO: military-authors WHAT: plots Eventuele voettekst

Results Significant (p>0,039) Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) Chi-Square Tests Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) Pearson Chi-Square 10,085a 4 ,039 Likelihood Ratio 12,517 4 ,014 Linear-by-Linear Association 2,092 1 ,148 N of Valid Cases 53 a. 6 cells (60,0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 1,19. Even stronger result for Positive versus Negative plots: Nationality * Plot posneg Crosstabulation Count Plot posneg Total positive negative Nationality NL 7 0 7 GE 2 5 7 UK 10 4 14 US 9 12 21 CAN 2 1 3 Total 30 22 52 Pearson Chi-Square 10,640a 4 ,031 Likelihood Ratio 13,223 4 ,010 Linear-by-Linear Association 2,705 1 ,100 N of Valid Cases 52 a. 6 cells (60,0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 1,27.  Significant (p>0,039) Eventuele voettekst

Kind of Disillusionment Plots Or as Harari puts it: Therefore many junior-rank memoirists set themselves a utopian mission of replacing the fictional image of war with a true image, hoping thereby to prevent future generations from going to war (Harari 2004: 91-92). This is not the kind of disillusionment we see in these twenty-first century stories. It is disillusionment with state and army, not with war we see. Plot Frequency Percent Valid disillusionment-war 1 1,9 Degeneration 6 11,1 disillusionment-armed forces 8 14,8 disillusionment-state 5 9,3 1011 1 1,9 Eventuele voettekst

Results

The Netherlands NL education 3 admiration 4 Proud about job (many reservists wanting to share the message that they do good work). Participating in the Dutch debate between reconstructionists and combatants. Extremely significant more reservists (Chi2=19,4 , p< 0,01) These are literally mainly reconstructionists: CIMIC, IDEAL, , only one combatant (Niels Roelen). So maybe a kinetic vs non-kinetic Everyone still working for Defense NL Count 7 0 7 % within Nationality 100,0% ,0% 100,0% Eventuele voettekst

Consultant in het groen The adventures of an IDEA* (Business) consultant on the Pol-e-Komri PRT** where she teaches at an Afghani Polytech and tries to introduce the Solar Cooker in Afghanistan. Is a thought plot ( more tolerant & understanding) from + to ++ , general/philosophical therefore an education plot. *Integrated Development of Entrepreneurial Activities ** Provincial Reconstruction Team Eventuele voettekst

Results: Reservist? Not significant (p =0,885) Chi-Square Tests Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) Exact Sig. (2-sided) Exact Sig. (1-sided) Pearson Chi-Square ,021a 1 ,885 Continuity Correctionb ,000 1 1,000 Likelihood Ratio ,021 1 ,885 Symmetric Measures Value Approx. Sig. Nominal by Nominal Phi -,020 ,885 Not significant (p =0,885) Eventuele voettekst

Results: (non) kinetic? Chi-Square Tests Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) Exact Sig. (2-sided) Exact Sig. (1-sided) Pearson Chi-Square 4,938a 1 ,026 Continuity Correctionb 3,749 1 ,053 Symmetric Measures Value Approx. Sig. Nominal by Nominal Phi -,308 ,026 N of Valid Cases 52 PS: not significant for Disilusionment plots: Nominal by Nominal Phi ,262 ,057 Cramer's V ,262 ,057 N of Valid Cases 53 Significant (p=0,026) Eventuele voettekst

Results: Still working for MoD? Chi-Square Tests Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) Exact Sig. (2-sided) Exact Sig. (1-sided) Pearson Chi-Square 7,943a 1 ,005 Continuity Correctionb 6,307 1 ,012 Symmetric Measures Value Approx. Sig. Nominal by Nominal Phi -,425 ,005 For positive/negative plots the statistical significance is even higher! Significant (p= 0,005) Eventuele voettekst

Germany GE dis-army 1 dis-state 1 degeneration 3 education 1 maturity 1 Degeneration plots fit with the pacifist culture in Germany, with the dominant discourse. … enter war with this sense of adventure and innocence shaped by cultural myths, an older generation’s war stories, and society’s beliefs about war as a rite of passage and a test of character and courage.(Herzog 1992: 4) Here also there are cultural myths and societal beliefs that do not concur with reality. This time not about sense of adventure and rites of passage, but about the pacifist nature of the engagement of the German soldiers in Afghanistan. Eventuele voettekst

Germany Dust jacket: Hieke Groos tells in an empathic way how war hurts (‘verletzt’) the human soul (‘Seele’) and she critisizes a system that has not yet found a way to help its veterans. Heike Gro0s …. Erzählt auf eindrückliche Weise, wie der Krieg die menschliche Seele verletzt und kritisiert ein System, das noch keine Wege gefunden hat, seinen Veteranen beizustehen. These are mainly stories about a country that doesn’t want to see its soldiers fight. The same issue as the Dutch (reconstructionists and combatants) but here the military authors have the feeling that nobody in Germany understands that the reality in Afghanistan is that it is a combatting mission, not reconstruction. They try to change the discourse. As Rid and Zapfe (in: Fighting the Afghanistan War, 2012/2013) call it: Germany since WWII has “ a unique and highly institutionalized cultural attitude towards the use of forcë….a culture of military restraint” Degeneration plots get published Eventuele voettekst

Germany Schwitalla (264): “ The compound is quiet but not stabil” 12 threat warnings 11x times his soldiers were shot at 5 wounded and 2 badly injured Compound 4 times shot at “Die Lage ist ruhig, aber nicht stabil” Eventuele voettekst

United Kingdom UK dis-army 1 dis-war 1 dis-state 1 dis-gen 1 education 1 maturity 5 admiration 1 action 4 Althought there is a lot of complaining, the style is that of the lifestory, which ends in a positive note: maturity plot. Actionplots are also very favorite. Weird, because qualitatively my conclusion is that the UK books all reflect the public discourse about the military convenant: that the state has to take care of its soldiers and that she doesn’t do that right at the moment. Possibly a cultural other style, because the complaining remains in each. There is no ‘gentlemen’ effect visible: all ranks complain and are negative in the same ratio. Maybe the masculinity thesis from Woodward who describes the UK market as “mass-market ‘true life army story’ paperbacks, an expanding genre in which former soldiers tell their stories of active service to a mostly young, male readership eager to learn how it really was.” (p 642) that describes a military culture of military masculinity, in a warrior nation. Maybe complaining as overall plot doesn’t fit that image of military masculinity. UK is a ghost writer’s market and ghostwriters write positive books, not negative books! Eventuele voettekst

United Kingdom Marine looses his legs in Afghanistan but vows that he will dance with his bride at their wedding. Literature of the wounded: maturity plot Eventuele voettekst

Result: gentlemen effect? There is no ‘gentlemen’ effect visible: all ranks complain and are negative in the same ratio. Chi-Square Tests Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) Pearson Chi-Square 1,750a 3 ,626 Likelihood Ratio 2,245 3 ,523 Linear-by-Linear Association 1,583 1 ,208 N of Valid Cases 14 a. 8 cells (100,0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is ,57. Not significant (p= 0,626) Eventuele voettekst

Results: Ghost? Significant (p= 0,026) Chi-Square Tests Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) Pearson Chi-Square 11,067a 4 ,026 Likelihood Ratio 11,710 4 ,020 Linear-by-Linear Association ,033 1 ,857 N of Valid Cases 54 a. 6 cells (60,0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is ,44. Significant (p= 0,026) Eventuele voettekst

Result: Ghost writer influence? Chi-Square Tests Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) Pearson Chi-Square 7,159a 2 ,028 Likelihood Ratio 9,663 2 ,008 Linear-by-Linear Association 6,941 1 ,008 x N of Valid Cases 53 a. 3 cells (50,0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 2,42. NB: The REST = 60% action plots (3 out of 5 ghostwritten books) AND 60% of the action plots (3 of the 5 action plots) Plot * Ghost Crosstabulation Count Ghost Total yes no Plot disillusionment-war 0 1 1 education 1 7 8 maturity 2 6 8 action 3 2 5 admiration 1 4 5 affective 0 3 3 pathetic 0 1 1 degeneration 0 6 6 disillusionment-armed f 0 8 8 disillusionment-state 0 5 5 sentimental 1 1 2 unclear 0 1 1 Disillusionment-general 0 1 1 Total 8 46 54 Significant (p= 0,028) Eventuele voettekst

Conclusion Do military-authors from different countries write different plots? YES

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