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Recasting the Warrior: The Victoria Cross for Australia and Contemporary Civil–Military Relations

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Militarization and the Global Rise of Paramilitary Culture

Abstract

Military awards for bravery are given to individuals, for virtuous acts in combat that stand out among others. This is at odds with the characteristics of professional militaries and conventional warfare that favour collective action over charismatic individualism and doctrinal behaviour over heroism. From a thematic analysis of the public discourse around the four Victoria Crosses for Australia medals awarded between 2009 and 2014, all to soldiers for their role in The War in Afghanistan, this chapter examines contemporary military awards as they draw on and reflect the language of warrior archetypes and contemporary civil–military relations. It is found the soldiers who wear the medals divert attention away from immediate discussions about war and violence to more nostalgic and mythical aspirations. Yet the celebration of these awards also reveals both the contested and ambivalent place of the military in Australian society.

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  1. Justice and Society, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia

    Cate Carter

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Correspondence to Cate Carter .

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  1. University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Brad West

  2. Royal Danish Defence College, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Thomas Crosbie

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Carter, C. (2021). Recasting the Warrior: The Victoria Cross for Australia and Contemporary Civil–Military Relations. In: West, B., Crosbie, T. (eds) Militarization and the Global Rise of Paramilitary Culture . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5588-3_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5588-3_3

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