Researching Military Social Harms - Roundtable Discussion

The study of ‘social harms’ as they occur in military contexts is a hitherto underexplored area of sociology, criminology, and adjacent disciplines. The aim of this workshop is to concretise an innovative agenda, to begin studying ‘military social harms’ as a distinctive theoretical and empirical area of research with a collaborative interdisciplinary network of critical military studies scholars at the University of Liverpool, GW4 institutions (Exeter, Bath, Cardiff and Warwick) and Queen Mary University of London. This collaboration includes expertise in sociology, criminology, international relations, conflict and security studies, international politics, and law.

Hosted by Dr Ross McGarry and the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology within the School of Law and Social Justice (SLSJ), this collaboration consists of Professor Victoria Basham (Cardiff University, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the journal Critical Military Studies), Professor Paul Higate (University of Bath, Professor of Security and Conflict), Professor Andrew Williams (University of Warwick, Professor of Law), Dr Nivi Manchanda (Queen Mary University of London, Reader in International Politics), Dr Sarah Bulmer (University of Exeter, Senior Lecturer in Politics) and Dr Owen Thomas (University of Exeter, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations).

Taking place as part of a two day SLSJ RDF funded workshop, this is an in-person, open invitation, roundtable discussion hosted between Publics & Practices and ICRU research clusters to provide an opportunity to discuss initial topics to be pursued by collaboration members at the outset of the Military Social Harms project. The intention is to gain feedback from colleagues attending the roundtable, informed by a range of expertise in cognate disciplines and research methods.

Following the roundtable, project collaboration members will regroup, take stock of the feedback received, consider how it might inform the direction of the project, and affirm next steps to steer the collaboration forward. Once completed, a small social gathering will be hosted with drinks and refreshments to allow collaboration members and those attending the roundtable to reconnect informally and socialise, bringing activities to a close.

You can reserve your place at the social event here: https://rmsh-sg-23.eventbrite.co.uk

This event will be held in Seminar Room 2, University of Liverpool Management School.