Concept of Military Identity in Modern Sociology

• Main Authors: Ekaterina Bataeva, Anna Artemenko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University 2018-11-01
• Series: Вісник Харківського національного університету імені В.Н. Каразіна. Серія: Соціологічні дослідження сучасного суспільства: методологія, теорія, методи
• Online Access: https://periodicals.karazin.ua/ssms/article/view/11571/11919

The article presents the main characteristics of the military identity, examines theoretical approaches to the study of the problem of military/post-military transition. Military identity is the result of the social identification of the actor with the army/military groups due to the internalization of values and norms adopted in the army/military field. The peculiarities of two military transition – transition from civilian life to the military field (after mobilization or voluntary membership in the armed forces) and transition from military to civilian field (after demobilization or dismissal for health reasons) are revealed. If the first transition involves the formation of a military identity, then the second transition is correlated with the phenomenon of postmilitary identity. If high levels of military identity can interfere with social reintegration during the second transition (transition from military to civilian life), then in the case of the first transition (transition from civil life to army life), they can contribute to the successful adaptation of the recruit for life in the army. The post-army period of social reintegration of veterans can be complicated by the contrast between the way of life of the military (with its culture of obedience, discipline, command spirit) and civilians (who value independence, personal autonomy and self-determination). As a result, there may be a conflict between the military and civil identities of the social actor, negatively affecting his/her social existence.