HEROES IN HELMAND MILITARY HEROISM AND NATIONAL IDENTITY IN DENMARK Kristian Frisk PhD Dissertation, May 2018 Department of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, University of Southern Denmark PhD dissertation by Kristian Frisk Title Heroes in Helmand: Military Heroism and National Identity in Denmark This dissertation has been submitted to the PhD School under the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, University of Southern Denmark (May 19, 2018). Academic supervisors Main supervisor Professor Gunnar Lind Haase Svendsen Department of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark Co-supervisor Associate Professor Niels Reeh Department of History, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark Associate Professor Niels Bo Poulsen Institute for Military History and War Studies, Royal Danish Military Academy, Denmark an Assessment committee Associate Professor Klaus Levinsen (chair) Department of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark Professor Emeritus Peter Gundelach Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Associate Professor Torunn Laugen Haaland Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, Norwegian Defence University College, Norway Printed by Print & Sign, Odense, Denmark ! Acknowledgements Above all I would like to thank Gunnar Lind Haase Svendsen. As my main supervisor, Gunnar has been a very constructive, meticulous and (seemingly) tireless reader of my many drafts, while taking good care of my well-being at the department. Also I am grateful to my two co-supervisors: Niels Reeh has been the midwife of many of the key ideas explored within these pages, whereas Niels Bo Poulsen has helped with historical particulars and the wider view. For conversations and comments on part of this work, I would also like to thank the good people in the Sociology Research Group (SDU Esbjerg), the War and Culture Research Group (SDU Odense), and the Institute for Military History and War Studies (Royal Danish Defence College). Special thanks go to Martin Lindhardt and Lene Kühle for their valuable feedback in connection with my first-year evaluation; Anders Engberg-Pedersen for supervising my ‘home school’ PhD course in War and Aesthetics; and Bjarke Friis Kristensen for graphical assistance in making Figure 1. And last, I wish to thank my wife Camilla, to whom I owe my sanity during the final preparation of this PhD dissertation. Contents ! Introduction*................................................................................................................................................................*1! A!Brief!History!of!Military!Heroism!in!Denmark!..........................................................................................................!2! Research!Question!.....................................................................................................................................................................!7! Outline!of!the!Four!Papers!.....................................................................................................................................................!8! Chapter!Outline!........................................................................................................................................................................!11! Theory*........................................................................................................................................................................*13! Research!BackgrounD!............................................................................................................................................................!13! International!Currents!.....................................................................................................................................................!14! Danish!StuDies!.....................................................................................................................................................................!16! Theories!of!PostKheroism!...............................................................................................................................................!19! Approach!.....................................................................................................................................................................................!21! The!Social!Construction!of!Heroes!.............................................................................................................................!21! Heroism,!Carrier!Groups!anD!Collective!IDentity!.................................................................................................!22! Heroism!anD!State!Relations!.........................................................................................................................................!23! Relative!Heroes!...................................................................................................................................................................!23! Key!Concepts!.............................................................................................................................................................................!24! Discourse!...............................................................................................................................................................................!24! Heroism!..................................................................................................................................................................................!25! Military!Culture!...................................................................................................................................................................!25! National!Identity!................................................................................................................................................................!26! SolDier!.....................................................................................................................................................................................!26! State!.........................................................................................................................................................................................!27! Data*and*Methods*...................................................................................................................................................*28! Case!Selection!...........................................................................................................................................................................!28! Data!...............................................................................................................................................................................................!31! Strengths!anD!Weaknesses!............................................................................................................................................!31! Main!Data!...............................................................................................................................................................................!33! Political!Speeches!.............................................................................................................................................................................!33! Military!Obituaries!...........................................................................................................................................................................!34! Military!Names!...................................................................................................................................................................................!37! Supplementary!Data!.........................................................................................................................................................!39! Interviews!............................................................................................................................................................................................!40! Observations!.......................................................................................................................................................................................!42! Analysis!anD!Interpretation!................................................................................................................................................!43! Analysis!of!Texts!.................................................................................................................................................................!45! Problems!................................................................................................................................................................................!47! Ethics!............................................................................................................................................................................................!48! Micro!ConsiDerations!.......................................................................................................................................................!49! Macro!ConsiDerations!......................................................................................................................................................!50!