Haze gray but never again underway: The veteran borderlands

Abstract

Distinguishing between the us and them of the military and civilian is a clearly delineated binary. Yet, if the line demarking military from civilian is obvious, it is far from finite. Within this demarcation or border lies the veteran. One who has traversed both sides of the line and yet no longer belongs to either side. Veterans belongs to both and yet neither caught in the haze gray but never again underway. Anzaldúa's (2012) borderlands method is extended to explore the veteran identity as a nebulous borderland between military and civilian cultures. Border crossings, identity development, intersectionality, deficit discourse, and microaggressions are explored through qualitative analysis including stylistic narrative and anecdotal writing.

Intersectional research in adult education: A diffractive gaze

“…The most common diffraction in the articles we noticed was the illumination of oppressed experiences in adult learning spaces (e.g., higher education, workplaces) stemming from intersecting identities. Some IR focused on the unique challenges of adults with marginalized identities in career and identity development (e.g., Carlbaum, 2021; Erwin, 2020). For example, by describing stories of highly skilled migrants in rural areas of Sweden seeking re‐entry to former professions, Carlbaum (2021) revealed the uniqueness of their opportunities and challenges due to the intersection of their social identities (e.g., age, education level, gender, material status), positionality (e.g., migration type, residence status, professional stage), and temporal contexts (e.g., settlement year, immigration policies).…”

“…For example, by describing stories of highly skilled migrants in rural areas of Sweden seeking re‐entry to former professions, Carlbaum (2021) revealed the uniqueness of their opportunities and challenges due to the intersection of their social identities (e.g., age, education level, gender, material status), positionality (e.g., migration type, residence status, professional stage), and temporal contexts (e.g., settlement year, immigration policies). From the perspective of a post‐911 veteran, Erwin (2020) explored the “borderland” identity development of veterans through narrative inquiry, whose identity lies in‐between spaces of military and civilian and who is forced to navigate transitional zones, deficit discourse, and microaggressions. By highlighting the unique experiences in particular adult groups, rather than finding the similarities across all adults, these studies provided an alternative lens and knowledge in adults’ identity and career development processes.…”

“…Some IR in AE accentuated intragroup differences in adult experiences (Erwin, 2020; Murray‐Johnson, 2013). For example, Murray‐Johnson (2013) criticized cross‐cultural misconceptions that perceive Black women as monolithic and force “solidarity in sameness” (p. 60) on all Black women.…”

“…IR in AE also showed that discourse on intragroup differences is not limited to groups based on social identity (e.g., women) but could be expanded to vocational identity. For instance, Erwin (2020) challenged the bias against veterans based on the thoughts on the normative identity of veterans (e.g., White, heterosexual, able‐bodied, native‐born, men) and highlighted the importance of recognizing intragroup differences in veterans from an intersectional perspective. When reading these studies together, power as a concept stands out as a force that intersects with the self in ways that do not make a difference.…”