Paul Hirst Memorial Lecture, 'Soldiers of Empire: Indian and British Armies in World War II', Tarak Barkawi
When:
—
Venue:
Birkbeck Main Building, Malet Street
How are soldiers made? Why do they fight? Reimagining the study of armed forces and society, Tarak Barkawi examines the imperial and multinational armies that fought in Asia in the Second World War, especially the British Indian Army in the Burma campaign. Going beyond conventional narratives, Barkawi studies soldiers in transnational context, from recruitment and training, to combat and memory. Drawing on history, sociology, and anthropology, the book critiques the “Western way of war” from a postcolonial perspective. Barkawi reconceives soldiers as cosmopolitan, their battles irreducible to the national histories that monopolize them. This book will appeal to those interested in the Second World War, armed forces, and the British Empire, and to students and scholars of military sociology and history, South Asian studies, and international relations.
Tarak Barkawi is Professor in the Department of International Relations, London School of Economics. He earned his doctorate at the University of Minnesota and specialises in the study of war, armed forces and society with a focus on conflict between the West and the global South. He is author of Globalization and War, Soldiers of Empire, and many scholarly articles.
Contact name:
Zoe Williams
Contact phone:
02076316789