‘Defend, Protect, Support’: A Study of Military Peacekeeping Identity in the Irish Permanent Defence Forces

  • Angela Mcginn

Student thesis: Doctoral ThesisPhD

Abstract

This research explores the subjective construction of military peacekeeping identity in an Irish context. The Irish Permanent Defence Forces (PDF) are one of the oldest institutions of the Irish State. They predate the founding of the State, with their origins in the Irish Volunteer Force and the National Army before being established by Statute in 1923. Participation in international peacekeeping missions dates to 1958, and the PDF are currently serving in 10 overseas missions under the auspices of the UN, NATO, and the EU. Previous studies on military identity have largely adopted an essentialist position; rooted in military sociology focusing on identity as something to be controlled, regulated, and allied to military objectives. This research recognises that an exploration of personal subjective military identities is equally important for understanding military forces and their personnel.
Identity is understood as referring to an individual’s ongoing efforts to answer questions such as ‘who am I?’, ‘how should I act?’, and ‘who do I want to be in the future?’ The research is positioned within an interpretive framework, drawing on a social constructionist epistemology. It considers literature in the field of identity, identity work, gender and nationality.
Adopting an qualitative methodology which prioritises lived experiences, data were collected through 48 semi structured interviews, recorded, transcribed, thematically coded, and analysed. The research sample was purposively drawn from a population of middle ranking commissioned officers. Attention was paid to collecting a sample which was representative of the demographic breakdown of the officer cohort. The research also drew on official organisational, political, and historical documents, to add depth to the analysis. The discussion is centred around three readings of the data, focusing on the construction of: officer peacekeeping identities, Irish peacekeeping identities, and female peacekeeping identities.
The primary contribution of the thesis is twofold, firstly it addresses the lack of qualitative studies on military identity by situating the research in an interpretive framework. Secondly, it adds to theoretical knowledge in terms of highlighting significant discursive practices and processes in the construction of meaningful military peacekeeping identities, drawing on ideas around professional satisfaction, making a contribution to the greater good, history, nationality, and gender.
Date of Award4 Dec 2023
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • University of Bath
SupervisorAndrew Brown (Supervisor) & Ian Colville (Supervisor)

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