Entrance and Exit from the Military

Abstract

The literature that addresses the reasons for entering military service is limited and generally does not report on the experiences of ethnic minority populations. This article reports on findings from a qualitative research study that examined health utilization and health status for a sample of 86 American Indian and Alaska Native veterans. The study generated data that provide interesting insights about the reasons for entering military service and experiences post discharge for this population. The data indicate that cultural material plays a significant role in the decision to enter the military and in the reentry experience of the veterans who participated in this research study. The analysis supports the proposition that despite the diversity that characterizes the American Indian and Alaska Native experience, there are overarching values and belief systems that are held in common across tribal communities which influence the social construction of life and the interpretation of life events.     

“习行之学”与“六艺之教”——颜元学术思想的时代文化意义与文学表现

清代前期的思想家颜元从批评理学入手,探求儒家经典之原旨,以习行为中心构建了自己的思想体系。颜元强调外在的事功,将经世致用视为成为圣贤的条件,将＂六艺＂视为原始儒家思想的核心。在六艺之中,颜元又特别强调射和御,主张＂文武相济＂。颜元对儒家原始经义的探究在清代影响甚大。颜元所推崇的文武双全的豪杰,在通俗小说中有形象的表现,文人豪杰之事功在这些通俗小说中被发挥到了极致。在吴敬梓的《儒林外史》中,＂礼乐兵农＂被视为挽救世运、世风的最后手段。     

Military,Masculinity, and Citizenship: Tensions and Contradictions in the Experience of Blue-Collar Soldiers

This article seeks to problematize the relationship between military service, masculinity, and citizenship, from the perspective of lower-class soldiers who serve in blue-collar roles in the Israeli military. Introducing class and ethnicity into the “taken for granted” equation of men, military, and the state reveals counter-hegemonic conceptions of masculinity and citizenship, and exposes tense and often contradictory relationships between them.

Based on in-depth interviews, I argue that blue-collar Israeli soldiers simultaneously accept and challenge the hegemonic Zionist conceptions of both masculinity and citizenship. Unlike the combat soldiers, blue-collar soldiers demonstrate gender and national identities that are not anchored in military life. Rather, these soldiers present an alternative version of “home-based masculinity,” which grants the family superiority over the military and the state. This masculinity is expressed through two recurring themes: ongoing resistance to military discipline and authority, and an emphasis on the role of the provider over the role of the soldier. Through these daily military practices, the soldiers express their rejection of the republican “principle of contribution” as a criterion to one's belonging to the collective. However, their conception of citizenship emphasizes a militant ethno-national discourse. The discrepancy between their antimilitaristic practices and their militant patriotism reflects their ambivalent socio-political location in Israeli society between their preferred location as Jews and their marginal location as Mizrachim of lower classes. These ambivalent identities reveal that a mutual affirming connection between the military, masculinity, and the state exists only for hegemonic groups. For non-hegemonic groups, the relationship between masculinity, military, and citizenship is ridden with conflicts and inner contradictions.     

The Changing Roles of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

The 2000 U.S. Census reported there were 158.9 million people ages 30 and older living in households in the United States, of whom 5.8 million (or 3.6%) were co-resident grandparents, defined as living with grandchildren younger than 18. Among these findings, 2.4 million (42%) were also grandparent caregivers. It is estimated that 1 in 10 grandparents will be the primary caregiver for at least 6 months for a grandchild before the child's eighteenth birthday. This article will discuss some of the challenges and hardships that these grandparents are faced with while raising their grandchildren. In addition, some attention to practice and policy are looked at to provide assistance to grandparents and kinship that may be raising relatives. There will be financial burden, worry, health issues, and freedom restrictions for this population. Many of these families may not be aware of programs, services, and resources that are available to them.     

“A Fear Like I've Never Felt”: Experiences of Parents Whose Adult Children Deployed to Combat Zones

Despite the increase of research with military families, less is known about the experiences of those parents who have adult children deployed overseas for military operations. This article presents parents’ experiences of having adult children deployed to combat zones. Qualitative data were gathered through an Internet-based survey during 2010. Analyses revealed important themes within the parents’ portrayals expressing strong reactions of fear, worry and concern for their children's safety and well being throughout their experiences. Parents also described frustrations communicating with their deployed children. Support from formal and informal sources was important to their coping, as was assistance from religious and military organizations. Finally, parents reported varied impacts of the adult children's deployment on the parents’ marriages. Implications for future military family research and family life education are provided.     

Families and Museums:

No abstract available for this article.     

The Response of Schools of Social Work to the Return of Uniformed Service Members and Their Families

The following article is designed to provide an historical overview of the role that the Smith College School for Social Work has played in serving U.S. service members and their families throughout the past 91 years. Particular attention is paid to the building momentum of interest and activity at the School since 2005.     

辽金西京大同的军事地位

大同作为辽金王朝的陪都西京,在历史上发挥了重要的作用。它是辽金王朝的重要军事中心,同时也是中国北方的军事重镇。作为辽金王朝的重要政治和文化中心,西京大同的历史在某种程度也是契丹和女真民族封建化的历史以及是中国中古时代民族融合进程的反映。     

试论民族融合与河套文化的形成(二)

河套地处中原与漠北的通衢要冲,自古就是战争与和平的传奇演绎之地;游牧与农耕两种文明的影响此消彼长,耷此生活的各民族人民秉承开放包容、进取不息的精神,相互学习、借鉴,最终接受认同对方的文化习俗,并融入各自生活,形成博采众长、异彩纷呈的河套文化。河套文化不断汲取外来优秀文化的营养,在军事文化的基础上,通过商业交流、移民、民族融合等方式,不断与其他文化现象融合,展现了绚丽多彩的民族文化特色。     

宋辽战争中武将的便宜行事权

北宋为防御辽朝,赋予边将便宜行事权,令其长期驻守,但多地位低微,领兵数少。在宋辽战争中,依据御赐阵图如果无法达到克敌制胜的目的,甚至会使己方蒙受巨大损失,则会导致一些有为将领不得不在关键时刻突破将从中御的限制,而采取便宜行事的做法,采取自己认为更合适的作战方略。由于宋代推行崇文抑武国策,武将畏谨之风日盛,即使赋予他们便宜行事之权,也不能发挥应有之作用。而为了维护中央集权,自宋太祖始就采取诸多措施限制武将的便宜行事权。