T Molendijk
Biographic Data
| ID | 21289 |
|---|---|
| NAME | T Molendijk |
| GIVEN NAMES | T |
| FAMILY NAME | Molendijk |
| SIGNATURE | MOLENDIJK T |
| AFFILIATIONS | Netherlands Defence Academy |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0325-5087 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 31 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Experimentation, legitimacy, and lived experiences in military innovation: The case of the Dutch Land Information Manoeuvre Centre
Militaries increasingly experiment with data-driven technologies to enhance readiness and prepare for future warfare. Yet developing these technologies in-house poses significant challenges, particularly given the limited opportunities for real-world experimentation. This paper examines the Land Information Manoeuvre Centre (LIMC), an experimental Dutch army innovation hub active during the COVID-19 pandemic but without a formal legal mandate. Th…
War Is Back in Post-Heroic Europe: Change and Continuity in the Relationship Between the Armed Forces and Society
Since war is back in Europe, societal perceptions are shifting. Terms such as “warfighting,” “whole of society,” and “total defence force” are becoming more prevalent. There is a growing recognition of the military’s importance and heightened appreciation for soldiers, while taboos on weapon manufacturing and warfighting are disappearing. To what extent, how and with what implication have societal attitudes surrounding the armed forces changed in…
Navigating Moral Injury and the Search for Recognition: Dutch Peacekeeper Veterans Return to Lebanon
Moral injury (MI) not only impacts individuals but also damages relations between individuals and their communities. While conventional interventions focus on individual healing, veterans organize return trips to former deployment areas to mend these damaged relations. Drawing on fieldwork with Dutch UNIFIL veterans in Lebanon and life story interviews, the study examines how these trips address the relational dimensions of MI and trauma more gen…
A Contextual Model of Moral Injury: Redefining Trauma in Frontline Professions through Ethics and Context
To date, the interrelations between mental health and ethical challenges in frontline professions, such as the military, police and health care, have remained underexamined. This article addresses this gap by developing a contextual model of moral injury: psychosocial trauma resulting from morally significant experiences. This model is the result of grounded theory research with 50 expert interviews, 250 hours of participant observation and 170 i…
This Is Not What I Signed up for: Sociotechnical Imaginaries, Expectations, and Disillusionment in a Dutch Military Innovation Hub
Many militaries envision a technologically advanced future with a strong innovative capability and therefore invest in so-called innovation hubs focused on experimenting with new modes of operation with drones and (semi-)autonomous vehicles. However, there appears to be a discrepancy between these military visions and soldiers' lived experiences on the ground. This article presents an ethnographic study of one innovation hub: the Robots and Auton…
Humour in Dirty Work with High-Impact Ambiguities and Paradoxes: The Looking Glass of Military Jokes and Laughter
This article examines humour as a unique reflection of and on social life, focusing on military humour as a reflection of the experiences of soldiers working in the armed forces. Soldiers are witnesses, victims, and perpetrators of harm, and instruments of the state tasked with "dirty work" scrutinised by society. Drawing on thick descriptions of military humour, this article explores how the military's high-impact ambiguities and paradoxes resul…
Moral Coping or Simply Uncomplicated Soldiering? How Soldiers Avoid Moral Injury Through Simplification, Justification, Rationalization, and Compartmentalization
A substantial number of soldiers develop moral injuries, yet just as many do not. Therefore, it is important to explore the question: How do military service members generally interpret and cope with moral challenges related to their profession? This article analyzes the accounts of 80 (former) soldiers, examining how they perceived their profession and the coping strategies they tend to use in the face of moral challenges. The findings show that…
Forum: The Self-Realising Soldier: Post-Heroic Reflections from Norwegian Afghanistan Veterans by Heidi Mogstad
In western media and politics, Afghanistan is usually depicted as a place of scarcity and hardship. This article attends to a different western representation of the country, that is, Afghanistan, as a site of self-fulfilment and growth. In doing so, I outline a mode of soldiering that emerged from my ethnographic interviews with Norwegian Afghanistan veterans: the self-realising soldier seeking combat, adventure and personal development in a dis…
Towards a Soldier-Based View in Research on The Military: An Empathetically Critical Approach
The military has long been a topic of interest in the social sciences. However, to date, military studies tend to take an overly researcher-oriented viewpoint rather than actually engaging with the 'native' experience of the soldier. This article intends to reorient military studies to a perspective that encompasses the lived and embodied worldviews, actions, and experiences of military personnel. Reviewing existing research on the military, it i…
When the personal is academic: Thoughts on navigating emotions in research on moral injury
Purpose How should researchers navigate and interpret the moral emotions evoked in them in research on trauma? In this reflective essay, the authors discuss their experience as researchers on moral injury (MI) in veterans and police personnel in the Netherlands. Stories of MI usually do not allow for a clear-cut categorization of the affected person as a victim or perpetrator. This ambivalence, in fact, is explicitly part of the concept of MI. It…
Moral Injury and Soldiers in Conflict: Political Practices and Public Perceptions
This book advances an interdisciplinary understanding of moral injury by analyzing the stories of military veterans of combat and peace missions. In the past decade, the concept of moral injury has emerged to address the potential moral impact of deployment. This book contributes to an interdisciplinary conceptualization of moral injury while, at the same time, critically evaluating the concept’s premises and implications. It paints an urgent and…
The Role of Political Practices in Moral Injury: A Study of Afghanistan Veterans
While much research has been conducted on military trauma, conceptualizations of deployment‐related suffering have been predominantly approached through a medical, individual‐focused lens. Since the military is an instrument of the state, it is crucial to expand the conceptual scope to include political processes, particularly for the fast‐growing literature on “moral injury,” which refers to the emotional impact of perpetrating, witnessing, or f…
Moral injury in relation to public debates: The role of societal misrecognition in moral conflict-colored trauma among soldiers
Conflicting Notions on Violence and PTSD in the Military: Institutional and Personal Narratives of Combat-Related Illness
The Role of Political Practices in Moral Injury: A Study of Afghanistan Veterans
While much research has been conducted on military trauma, conceptualizations of deployment‐related suffering have been predominantly approached through a medical, individual‐focused lens. Since the military is an instrument of the state, it is crucial to expand the conceptual scope to include political processes, particularly for the fast‐growing literature on “moral injury,” which refers to the emotional impact of perpetrating, witnessing, or f…
Moral injury in relation to public debates: The role of societal misrecognition in moral conflict-colored trauma among soldiers
This Is Not What I Signed up for: Sociotechnical Imaginaries, Expectations, and Disillusionment in a Dutch Military Innovation Hub
Many militaries envision a technologically advanced future with a strong innovative capability and therefore invest in so-called innovation hubs focused on experimenting with new modes of operation with drones and (semi-)autonomous vehicles. However, there appears to be a discrepancy between these military visions and soldiers' lived experiences on the ground. This article presents an ethnographic study of one innovation hub: the Robots and Auton…
War Is Back in Post-Heroic Europe: Change and Continuity in the Relationship Between the Armed Forces and Society
Since war is back in Europe, societal perceptions are shifting. Terms such as “warfighting,” “whole of society,” and “total defence force” are becoming more prevalent. There is a growing recognition of the military’s importance and heightened appreciation for soldiers, while taboos on weapon manufacturing and warfighting are disappearing. To what extent, how and with what implication have societal attitudes surrounding the armed forces changed in…
Moral Coping or Simply Uncomplicated Soldiering? How Soldiers Avoid Moral Injury Through Simplification, Justification, Rationalization, and Compartmentalization
A substantial number of soldiers develop moral injuries, yet just as many do not. Therefore, it is important to explore the question: How do military service members generally interpret and cope with moral challenges related to their profession? This article analyzes the accounts of 80 (former) soldiers, examining how they perceived their profession and the coping strategies they tend to use in the face of moral challenges. The findings show that…
Forum: The Self-Realising Soldier: Post-Heroic Reflections from Norwegian Afghanistan Veterans by Heidi Mogstad
In western media and politics, Afghanistan is usually depicted as a place of scarcity and hardship. This article attends to a different western representation of the country, that is, Afghanistan, as a site of self-fulfilment and growth. In doing so, I outline a mode of soldiering that emerged from my ethnographic interviews with Norwegian Afghanistan veterans: the self-realising soldier seeking combat, adventure and personal development in a dis…
Towards a Soldier-Based View in Research on The Military: An Empathetically Critical Approach
The military has long been a topic of interest in the social sciences. However, to date, military studies tend to take an overly researcher-oriented viewpoint rather than actually engaging with the 'native' experience of the soldier. This article intends to reorient military studies to a perspective that encompasses the lived and embodied worldviews, actions, and experiences of military personnel. Reviewing existing research on the military, it i…
Conflicting Notions on Violence and PTSD in the Military: Institutional and Personal Narratives of Combat-Related Illness
Moral injury in relation to public debates: The role of societal misrecognition in moral conflict-colored trauma among soldiers
The Role of Political Practices in Moral Injury: A Study of Afghanistan Veterans
While much research has been conducted on military trauma, conceptualizations of deployment‐related suffering have been predominantly approached through a medical, individual‐focused lens. Since the military is an instrument of the state, it is crucial to expand the conceptual scope to include political processes, particularly for the fast‐growing literature on “moral injury,” which refers to the emotional impact of perpetrating, witnessing, or f…
Moral Injury and Soldiers in Conflict: Political Practices and Public Perceptions
This book advances an interdisciplinary understanding of moral injury by analyzing the stories of military veterans of combat and peace missions. In the past decade, the concept of moral injury has emerged to address the potential moral impact of deployment. This book contributes to an interdisciplinary conceptualization of moral injury while, at the same time, critically evaluating the concept’s premises and implications. It paints an urgent and…
When the personal is academic: Thoughts on navigating emotions in research on moral injury
Purpose How should researchers navigate and interpret the moral emotions evoked in them in research on trauma? In this reflective essay, the authors discuss their experience as researchers on moral injury (MI) in veterans and police personnel in the Netherlands. Stories of MI usually do not allow for a clear-cut categorization of the affected person as a victim or perpetrator. This ambivalence, in fact, is explicitly part of the concept of MI. It…
Towards a Soldier-Based View in Research on The Military: An Empathetically Critical Approach
The military has long been a topic of interest in the social sciences. However, to date, military studies tend to take an overly researcher-oriented viewpoint rather than actually engaging with the 'native' experience of the soldier. This article intends to reorient military studies to a perspective that encompasses the lived and embodied worldviews, actions, and experiences of military personnel. Reviewing existing research on the military, it i…
Moral Coping or Simply Uncomplicated Soldiering? How Soldiers Avoid Moral Injury Through Simplification, Justification, Rationalization, and Compartmentalization
A substantial number of soldiers develop moral injuries, yet just as many do not. Therefore, it is important to explore the question: How do military service members generally interpret and cope with moral challenges related to their profession? This article analyzes the accounts of 80 (former) soldiers, examining how they perceived their profession and the coping strategies they tend to use in the face of moral challenges. The findings show that…
Forum: The Self-Realising Soldier: Post-Heroic Reflections from Norwegian Afghanistan Veterans by Heidi Mogstad
In western media and politics, Afghanistan is usually depicted as a place of scarcity and hardship. This article attends to a different western representation of the country, that is, Afghanistan, as a site of self-fulfilment and growth. In doing so, I outline a mode of soldiering that emerged from my ethnographic interviews with Norwegian Afghanistan veterans: the self-realising soldier seeking combat, adventure and personal development in a dis…
Navigating Moral Injury and the Search for Recognition: Dutch Peacekeeper Veterans Return to Lebanon
Moral injury (MI) not only impacts individuals but also damages relations between individuals and their communities. While conventional interventions focus on individual healing, veterans organize return trips to former deployment areas to mend these damaged relations. Drawing on fieldwork with Dutch UNIFIL veterans in Lebanon and life story interviews, the study examines how these trips address the relational dimensions of MI and trauma more gen…
A Contextual Model of Moral Injury: Redefining Trauma in Frontline Professions through Ethics and Context
To date, the interrelations between mental health and ethical challenges in frontline professions, such as the military, police and health care, have remained underexamined. This article addresses this gap by developing a contextual model of moral injury: psychosocial trauma resulting from morally significant experiences. This model is the result of grounded theory research with 50 expert interviews, 250 hours of participant observation and 170 i…
This Is Not What I Signed up for: Sociotechnical Imaginaries, Expectations, and Disillusionment in a Dutch Military Innovation Hub
Many militaries envision a technologically advanced future with a strong innovative capability and therefore invest in so-called innovation hubs focused on experimenting with new modes of operation with drones and (semi-)autonomous vehicles. However, there appears to be a discrepancy between these military visions and soldiers' lived experiences on the ground. This article presents an ethnographic study of one innovation hub: the Robots and Auton…
Humour in Dirty Work with High-Impact Ambiguities and Paradoxes: The Looking Glass of Military Jokes and Laughter
This article examines humour as a unique reflection of and on social life, focusing on military humour as a reflection of the experiences of soldiers working in the armed forces. Soldiers are witnesses, victims, and perpetrators of harm, and instruments of the state tasked with "dirty work" scrutinised by society. Drawing on thick descriptions of military humour, this article explores how the military's high-impact ambiguities and paradoxes resul…
Experimentation, legitimacy, and lived experiences in military innovation: The case of the Dutch Land Information Manoeuvre Centre
Militaries increasingly experiment with data-driven technologies to enhance readiness and prepare for future warfare. Yet developing these technologies in-house poses significant challenges, particularly given the limited opportunities for real-world experimentation. This paper examines the Land Information Manoeuvre Centre (LIMC), an experimental Dutch army innovation hub active during the COVID-19 pandemic but without a formal legal mandate. Th…
War Is Back in Post-Heroic Europe: Change and Continuity in the Relationship Between the Armed Forces and Society
Since war is back in Europe, societal perceptions are shifting. Terms such as “warfighting,” “whole of society,” and “total defence force” are becoming more prevalent. There is a growing recognition of the military’s importance and heightened appreciation for soldiers, while taboos on weapon manufacturing and warfighting are disappearing. To what extent, how and with what implication have societal attitudes surrounding the armed forces changed in…
Political science (10 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Social Psychology (7 works) · Moral injury (6 works) · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research (6 works) · Torture, Ethics, and Law (6 works) · Criminology (5 works) · Gender, Security, and Conflict (5 works) · Law (5 works)