Why do soldiers swap illicit pictures? How a visual discourse analysis illuminates military band of brother culture

Bibliographic Data

ID12301536
AuthorsMegan Mackenzie (0000-0003-4052-2420, The University of Sydney, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume51
Issue4
Pages340-357
Publication date2020-01-30
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSecurity Dialogue (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0967-0106 • E-ISSN: 1460-3640
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0967010619898468
OpenAlexW3003949482
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited22

Military service members have been taking and circulating illicit images for decades, and soldier-produced illicit images are a regular and coherent category of international images. Focusing on two case studies – Abu Ghraib images and images of hazing – the argument put forward in this article is that soldier-generated illicit images are not simply photographic evidence, or accidental by-products, of exceptional military activities; rather, these images – and the practices associated with these images – are central to, and reinforce aspects of, military band of brother culture. Soldier-produced illicit images establish a visual vernacular that normalizes particular practices within military communities. Moreover, the practices of producing, circulating and consuming these images convey explicit messages to service members about acceptable behaviour and norms around loyalty and secrecy. A method of visual discourse analysis is developed and employed to examine the acts captured in soldier-generated illicit images as well as the practices linked to the production, circulation and consumption of images. Building on existing work on military culture and images and international relations, this article makes a unique contribution by systematically analysing soldier-produced illicit images in order to gain insights about internal military culture and group dynamics

Advertising · Brother · Business · Iraq war · Military service · Political science · Sociology · Visual culture · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Global Security and Public Health · Law · Military History and Strategy

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