Cautionary Tales from the US Department of Defense’s Pursuit of Cultural Expertise

Bibliographic Data

ID20052136
AuthorsKerry B Fosher, Kerry Fosher (0000-0002-9421-9243, corresponding author)
Year2014
Pages15-29
Publication date2014-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeCHAPTER
VenueCultural Awareness in the Military (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan UK (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1057/9781137409423_2
OpenAlexW2490541052
ISBN9781137409423
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited12

This chapter examines three patterns regarding how the Department of Defense (DOD) has tried to address its need for cultural knowledge and social science expertise over the last ten years. The patterns include reliance on outside experts, long-term integration through professional development, and investment in technology-centric approaches and tools. The chapter outlines the problematic orientations toward expertise and other challenges associated with each approach. It also highlights why these approaches may be more or less appealing to DOD given existing institutional orientations and discourses. It concludes with some brief recommendations for DOD and other organizations considering development of cultural or social science-related capabilities

Engineering ethics · Knowledge management · Political science · Public relations · Anthropology: Ethics, History, Culture · Computer Science · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Engineering

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