Contemporary Soldier Stories and the Game of Propaganda: The War on Terror, and some Folkloric Reflections on the War in Iraq

Authors

Keywords:

War on Terror, Torture, Wikileaks,

Abstract

This paper explores the world of confusion of identity, purpose and hurt associated with the various ‘western’ forces involved in this Allied campaign against ‘Terror’, with special reference to the war in Iraq. The treatment is associated with propaganda, song, trauma, Australian perceptions of, and attitudes to, all of this conflict. Song, WikiLeaks, etc. are explored, and the whole is linked to the earlier Australian culture of the folk-rock track, ’I was Only Nineteen’.

Author Biography

A. Asbjørn Jøn, University of Canterbury

Department of Anthropology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

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Published

2011-11-05

Issue

Vol. 26 (2011): Notions of Defiance; the Tragedy of Wars of Retaliation, and our Celtic Heritage

Section

International and Comparative Studies

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