The Rhetoric of Civil–Military Relations in Contemporary Armed Forces Museums
Journal: Journal of War and Culture Studies
Year: 2021

This article undertakes a rhetorical analysis of two European armed forces museums (the National Army Museum in London and the Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden) in order to show how such institutions provide a space for the negotiation of civil–military relations in ‘post-military’ societies. It argues that both museums construct a world of military professionalism that shields the soldier from potential criticism in the context of contemporary armed conflicts, while encouraging the