Armadillo and the Viking spirit: military names and national myths in transnational military interventions

Frisk, Kristian

doi:10.1080/23337486.2017.1319644

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Against this, empirical studies point to hero-worship in today’s societies, suggesting that claims of a corrosion of heroism are (at best) exaggerated (e.g. Brad, 2008; Fine, 1999; Frisk, 2017a, 2017b, 2017c; Kelly, 2012; Lorber, 2002; Scheipers, 2014; Seale, 1995, 2002). Whether or not one can talk about a post-heroic age seems to depend on the narrowness of one’s conceptual approach to heroism and, as Schwartz (2008) has demonstrated, the historical time frame of one’s study.…”

Section: Problematising Heroism: Three Areas For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Makes a Hero? Theorising the Social Structuring of Heroism

Frisk

2018

Sociology

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The article discusses four dominant perspectives in the sociology of heroism: the study of great men; hero stories; heroic actions; and hero institutions. The discussion ties together heroism and fundamental sociological debates about the relationship between the individual and the social order; it elucidates the socio-psychological, cultural/ideational and socio-political structuring of heroism, which challenges the tendency to understand people, actions and events as naturally, or intrinsically, heroic; and it points to a theoretical trajectory within the literature, which has moved from very exclusive to more inclusive conceptualisations of a hero. After this discussion, the article examines three problematic areas in the sociology of heroism: the underlying masculine character of heroism; the presumed disappearance of the hero with modernisation; and the principal idea of heroism as a pro-social phenomenon. The article calls for a more self-conscious engagement with this legacy, which could stimulate dialogue across different areas of sociological research.

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Section: Problematising Heroism: Three Areas For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Makes a Hero? Theorising the Social Structuring of Heroism

Frisk

2018

Sociology

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“…I dag ser vi kulturasetro springe frem, når danskerne gør sig klar til kamp, fx hos fans til landskampe med vikingehjelme og nationalhymne, og når udstationerede soldater går i krig med thorshammer om halsen og asetro kontingentmaerker på skuldrene. Tendensen til, at kulturasetro kan blive mere personlig i det danske forsvar (Joensen 2011;Frisk 2019), giver netop mening, fordi styrke, mod og handlekraft er vigtige egenskaber i krig.…”

Section: Danmarks Dobbelte Nationalidentitetunclassified

Kulturasetro i Danmark?

Schjoedt¹,

Petersen²,

Christensen³

et al. 2022

RvT

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Inspired by the concept of Cultural Christianity, we investigate if something like Cultural Asatru exists in Denmark. A Cultural Asatru person may not believe in or worship the Old Norse gods, but may still identify with a pre-Christian heritage, believe that Danish values stem from Old Norse culture, and see Old Norse myths as original expressions of these values. We have used qualitative and quantitative methods to examine such beliefs and attitudes in 30 participants. The study was designed as a proof-of-concept study to evaluate whether cultural Asatru exists in Denmark, and if so, how this construct can be measured empirically. We find that national conservative Danes identify with Christian as well as Old Norse culture. The virtues of strength, courage, and vigor seem to be strongly associated with Old Norse heritage, while forgiveness, love, and compassion are associated with a Christian heritage. Gender equality, appreciation of nature, and the concept of Danishness appear to be associated more with Old Norse culture than with Christian culture. Strength and courage, which seem to express the essence of Old Norse culture, are heavily associated with the god Thor and the widespread wearing of Thor’s hammer pendants. RESUME: Vi undersøger danskernes forhold til oldnordisk kultur. Inspireret af begrebet kulturkristendom undersøger vi, om der også findes kulturasetro i Danmark. For at være kulturasetro behøver man hverken at tro på eller dyrke de hedenske guder. Til gengæld identificerer man sig med den oldnordiske kulturarv, anser danske værdier for at være oldnordiske og opfatter oldnordiske myter som oprindelige udtryk for disse værdier. Vi har undersøgt 30 deltageres forhold til oldnordisk kultur og mytologi ved hjælp af både kvalitative og kvantitative mål. Undersøgelsen er designet som et proof-of-concept studie, der i første omgang skal vurdere, om der overhovedet findes kulturasetro i Danmark. Vi finder i undersøgelsen, at nationalkonservative deltagere identificerer sig med både kristen og oldnordisk kultur. Generelt tilskrives værdier som styrke, mod og handlekraft en oldnordisk kultur, mens tilgivelse, kærlighed og barmhjertighed tilskrives en kristen kultur. Lighed mellem køn, naturglæde og selve begrebet danskhed forbindes i højere grad med oldnordisk kultur end med kristen kultur. Styrke og mod synes at udgøre selve essensen af oldnordisk kultur, og disse kerneværdier kædes sammen med guden Thor og med det at bære thorshammeren om halsen.

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“…The second performance of the Greek identity in the CNG is through its symbols and insignia. The naming practices of bases, equipment, and sites within the military provide a legitimization of the CNG’s mission, creating a cohesive ‘common group dynamic among soldiers serving within a particular unit by stressing the history of their unit’ (Basham, 2013; Frisk, 2019; King, 2006). This history is interlinked with the state’s ‘national myth’, perpetuating a certain identity at the expense of Others.…”

Section: The Cng and The Performance Of A Greek Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Performing Identity: The Case of the (Greek) Cypriot National Guard

Moisi

Zachariades

2021

Studies Ethnicity & National

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Students of International Relations are taught that the modern nation‐state has a monopoly on the (legitimate) use of violence. However, in the case of the Republic of Cyprus this does not seem to be the case, since its armed forces, the Cypriot National Guard (CNG), are intimately embedded within Greece’s military structure, and half the island remains under Turkish occupation. The colonization of Cyprus (1571–1960) and subsequent decolonization has led to the gradual construction of two rigid identities, Greek and Turkish, that have been institutionalized legally and imposed constitutionally. This paper seeks to answer two questions. First, how does the CNG perform and therefore constitute a ‘Greek identity’? Second, is this performance epistemically violent, hindering the formation of hybrid identities? We use autoethnography, interviews, and insights from Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of the habitus and Judith Butler’s performativity theory to explore these two questions. We argue that the CNG performs a Greek identity in three key configurations: 1) the operational link between the Greek Army and the CNG; 2) the explicit connection to both ancient and modern Greece through various CNG insignia and practices, including parades and marching songs; and 3) the entrenchment of the Greek Orthodox Church within its practices.

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Armadillo and the Viking spirit: military names and national myths in transnational military interventions

Cited by 7 publications

References 20 publications

What Makes a Hero? Theorising the Social Structuring of Heroism

What Makes a Hero? Theorising the Social Structuring of Heroism

Kulturasetro i Danmark?

Performing Identity: The Case of the (Greek) Cypriot National Guard

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