Wars in Review: Subaltern Methodologies in Conflict Studies

This essay reviews four disparate studies on war narratives: ‘Right to Mourn’ by Suhi Choi (2019), ‘Fly Until You Die’ Chia Youyee Vang ‘Soldiers in Revolt’ Maggie Dwyer (2018), ‘Breaking the Binaries Security Studies’ Ayelet Harel-Shalev and Shir Daphna-Tekoah (2019). The take a ‘view-from-below’ approach build new theoretical frameworks that not only expose ‘the price of war’, but also investigate how ‘subaltern subjects’ subjects view their place participation conflict resist over-arching homogenous interpretations. respectively focus post-war remembrance South Korea, oral histories Hmong pilots, mutinying West African states, experiences female combatants Israeli Defence Forces. Although dissimilar terms geographic spaces, actors even methodology, authors all commonly challenge established binaries within assume separation ‘military’ ‘civilian’, prevalence power-hierarchies armed forces, supposed passiveness powerless conflict. these books as individual publications contribute literature own disciplines, interactive dispute prevailing theories present understandings narratives interrelate.