Canadian Military Identity Constructions: Examining Civil-Military Relations in Canada
| dc.contributor.advisor | Bercuson, David Jay | |
| dc.contributor.author | Brush, Stephen Lloyd | |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Terriff, Terry Richard | |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Peric, Sabrina | |
| dc.date | 2021-11 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-10-07T15:29:30Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-10-07T15:29:30Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021-10 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This thesis examines the relationship between the armed forces and society in Canada. Traditional civil-military studies approach the topic to examine civil control of the military or by exploring the degree of integration between the military and civilian spheres. The approach adopted here focuses on the military institution as a sub-state actor that is a product of the Canadian state’s identity formation process. The military’s identity is a social construction under constant negotiation and is a product of the relationship between government, military, and citizens. Interviews with Defence Team members and a discourse analysis of the two most recent defence white papers, among other sources, outlines a complicated and multifaceted social process by which military identity formation occurs within Canada. The examination outlines how successive governments are the stewards of the military identity formation process and that they control the fate of the past, present, and future constructions. Defence white papers are presented as both sites of military identity construction through their inherently biased narratives and as determinants for the future of the military organization by virtue of their structuring effect on defence policy development. This study reveals a highly competitive discursive space whereby governments and their competitors vie for hegemony insofar as military identity constructions are concerned. The analysis exposes the underlying assumptions of the civil-military relationship in Canada. It warns against including idealistic discourse as part of the military identity formation process as the state’s very existence is hedged on cultivating the correct military organization capable of providing security. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.citation | Brush, S. L. (2021). Canadian military identity constructions: examining civil-military relations in Canada (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/39344 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1880/114037 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | en_US |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Arts | en_US |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Calgary | en |
| dc.rights | University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. | en_US |
| dc.subject | military identity | en_US |
| dc.subject | Canadian civil-military relations | en_US |
| dc.subject.classification | Military Studies | en_US |
| dc.title | Canadian Military Identity Constructions: Examining Civil-Military Relations in Canada | en_US |
| dc.type | doctoral thesis | en_US |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Military & Strategic Studies | en_US |
| thesis.degree.grantor | University of Calgary | en_US |
| thesis.degree.name | Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) | en_US |
| ucalgary.item.requestcopy | true | en_US |