Jessica Auchter’s talk will focus on intersections between masculinity and violence and on the strategic use of sexual violence as a tool during civil war. While women are often victims of such violence, this talk focuses on those instances when men are targeted as a mechanism of emasculation that serves particular political and strategic aims. Specifically, the talk will draw out the strategic logic of sexual violence against men in cases of civil war, such as Syria, where we see its widespread occurrence in the context of government detention centers, and in cases of ethnic violence, such as Myanmar, where the military has adopted its use as a tactic of ethnic cleansing. Though sexual violence often manifests differently for men and women in these cases, both are premised on norms of masculinity and vulnerability that structure social, political, and ethnic identities.

 

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Bio:

Jessica Auchter is Research Chair in Visual Culture in International Studies and Full Professor at Université Laval in Québec. She is the author of Global Corpse Politics: The Obscenity Taboo (Cambridge University Press, 2021), and The Politics of Haunting and Memory in International Relations (Routledge, 2014). Her work appears in Critical Studies on Security, Journal of Global Security Studies, International Affairs, Human Remains and Violence, Review of International Studies, and International Feminist Journal of Politics, among others, and in several edited volumes. She is currently working on a book project on the visual representation of human rights violations, including sexual violence.  

The CAF is facing a number of challenges and while many are related to the increasing insecurity around the world through belligerent actors, expanding threats to what constitutes security, and fiscal realities, many are also of our own making. The CAF is facing a recruitment and retention challenge. This is being driven by the fact that the CAF has been slow to evolve in its principles, values, expectations that are increasingly out of step with Canadian society. This presentation will provide a brief overview of some of the work that has been so far to realign and reinforce our principles, values, and expectations as we work to renovate the culture of the CAF to better position us to secure Canada's interests and do in a way that is also reflective of Canadian values.

 

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Bio:

Abstract:

Too often lack of ethical behaviour or misconduct in large organizations like DND is attributed to the questionable actions of a few individuals, so-called “bad apples.” However, there are systemic factors in organizations that are often overlooked as the cause of ethical failings or misconduct and that can actually cause greater damage to the organization than individual misbehaviour. I will talk about how military culture affects ethical behaviour in the larger DND organization. While part of DND, the military has its own distinct roles and culture that impact on the behaviour of both civilian and military members of DND. I will focus on those systemic aspects of Canadian Armed Forces culture that have had the greatest impact on ethical behaviour in DND.

Zoom link to attend: https://zoom.us/j/92846041514?pwd=d3dpcnc1emVLWm9tWkhXbE5NNk1UQT09

Meeting ID: 928 4604 1514
Passcode: 006179

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Bio:

Allan English teaches Canadian Military History in the Queen’s University History Department. His book Understanding Military Culture: A Canadian Perspective was published in 2004 and he continues to research and publish in that area. Over his 30-year academic career, he has taught various courses related to military culture, organizational change, and ethics and the military profession at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Queen’s University and the Royal Military College of Canada and to senior and general/flag officers at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto. His latest research examines systemic obstacles to
culture change in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), especially that change intended to reduce the incidence of sexual misconduct in the CAF. His latest work is as co-editor and chapter author in the book Why We Fight: New Approaches to the Human Dimension of Warfare (2020).

In this installment of the CIDP's mentorship program with our visiting defence fellows, LTC Tokach and Col Jurkowski will examine the military cooperation with inter-governmental organizations, law enforcement agencies and civilian organizations. The floor will then be open for any discussion pertaining to international and defence policy. A light dinner will be provided for attendees.

*A light meal will be provided

 

 

Disasters are increasing in frequency and severity across Canada. There were 195 major disasters identified in the Canadian Disaster Database that struck Canada between 2008 and 2018. Combined, these disasters have cost tens of billions of dollars in damages and displaced hundreds of thousands of people and due to increased scale, outstrip local and provincial resources quickly. This has led to and increased “ Request for Assistance” from Provinces to the Federal Government and the Canadian Armed Forces taking on greater responsibility over the last decade as the “force of choice” that can support Canadians in their time of need. A national debate has emerged, questioning the capacity of the CAF, due to personnel shortages and an increased Operational tempo, to continue as the primary action arm to Federal government disaster response.

This discussion will initially lay out the present Federal frameworks for Emergency Management, the historic CAF response metrics and provide some context for the ongoing pressures on the force, demonstrating the gaps that have emerged. Having established the need, the study will use several case studies to explore the options available to generate a hybrid skilled volunteer/professional response element that would seek to fill this emergent space and the steps necessary to fully realize its potential. Drawing on both practitioner experience and the contemporary Emergency Management Literature, the discussion will hope to expose the audience to the contemporary Canadian Disaster Landscape, current policy frameworks, current pressures on the status quo and an option to Government to invest in human capital to mitigate impact on the Canadian population.

 

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Speaker

As part of the VDF mentorship program for undergraduate skill building.

 

The Military's Role in Post-Conflict Stabilization Activities: Working with the Whole of Government & NGOs

LTC Tokach and Col. Jurkowski will be discussing cooperation in post-war stabilization, focusing on a UN, NATO and Coalition lens.

Register to attend

 

some food and drink will be provided.

 

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Download the English Program & Bios | Télécharger le programme et les bios

Often called out for its lack of diversity and inclusion, it is not only the military institution that needs to change, but also the way it is studied. For far too long, research on the military has been siloed. Few dialogues and consultations among researchers were taken place, either because their research field was distinct (political science, sociology, anthropology, history, applied ethics, and so forth) or because they were working for different institutions (academic or governmental). Now more than ever, marginalized approaches and perspectives in the study of international security need to be heard and seen as they can bring answers to some of the challenges the military institution is currently facing.

By bringing together researchers – virtually and in-person – from different countries, this conference aims to delve into how the military institution can be researched from more perspectives than we usually imagine when we think of the military. It is about paying attention to what underrepresented researchers, researchers using underrepresented approaches or working on underrepresented topics, can bring to the table. But it is also about opening a space for researchers – and the public – to share and learn from each other.

The conference is hybrid. Public is welcomed either in person or virtually.

This is a bilingual event. Live interpretation will be available to all attendees.

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Hors des sentiers battus: nouvelles directions dans la recherche sur le militaire

Régulièrement interpellée pour son manque de diversité et d’inclusion, ce n’est pas seulement l’institution militaire qui a besoin de changer, mais aussi la manière dont elle est étudiée. Pendant trop longtemps, la recherche sur le militaire s’est faite en silo. Trop peu d’échanges et de discussions entre chercheur.e.s prenaient place, parce qu’ils appartenaient à des disciplines différentes (science politique, sociologie, anthropologie, histoire, éthique appliquée, etc.) ou parce qu’ils travaillaient pour des institutions différentes (universitaires ou gouvernementales). Maintenant plus que jamais, il est important de prêter davantage attention aux approches et perspectives considérées qui comme marginales dans le champ de la sécurité internationale, et ce parce qu’elles peuvent apporter des réponses à certains des défis que l’institution militaire doit actuellement affronter.

Rassemblant des chercheur.e.s – virtuellement et en personne – de différents pays, cette conférence a pour objectif d’explorer comment l’institution militaire peut être analysée de davantage de façon qu’on tend à imaginer lorsqu’il est question du militaire. C’est à propos de ce qu’on peut apprendre si on prête attention à ce que les chercheur.e.s sous-représenté.e.s, les chercheur.e.s ayant recours à des approches sous-représentées, ou travaillant sur des sujets sous-représentés, font. Mais l’objectif est aussi d’ouvrir un espace au sein duquel chercheur.e.s – et public – peuvent partager et apprendre des autres.

La conférence est hybride. Le public peut y assister en présence ou virtuellement.

 

PROGRAMME AGENDA:

8:30 am - Opening words – conference’s structure

8:45 am - Panel #1 : Participatory Research within the Military Institution: From Observation to Action-Research in the Service of Servicemembers

This panel focuses on how participatory research offers an original and relevant perspective when it comes to the analysis of the military institution and its members. Using different perspectives (sociology, anthropology, applied ethics, etc.) and relying on different case studies (France, the Netherlands and Canada), the four researchers in this panel will present their work, as well as how they used this methodological approach in their respective research. Participative research contributes to a better understanding of issues such as the integration of women into the armed forces, the psychological suffering suffered by certain members, or more generally the ways to improve the situation of active members, veterans, and their relatives. As such the contributions of participatory research should not be overlooked.

Panelists:

• Marguerite Déon
• Léa Ruelle
• Elizabeth Suen
• Amber S. Spijkers

10:00 am - BREAK

10:15 am - Panel #2: Lived Experiences Under Scrutiny: Learning from the Servicemembers Themselves

This panel is about lived experiences, and how a better understanding of what is happening at the individual level can potentially help to better understand – and thus ultimately improve – what is occurring at the institutional level. Lived experiences make it possible to better understand the trajectory of individuals and how they are coping when confronted with obstacles at certain points of their lives. Soldiers’ lives courses in particular are known to be chaotic. Learning for instance about their experiences on the battlefield, or their transition out of the military, can enable the armed forces to better prepare its members when, or if, they face these situations.

Panelists:

• Dr. Jennifer O’Neil
• Dr. Michelle Jones

10:55 am - BREAK

11:00 a.m. - Panel #3: Representation of Gendered and Sexual Identities: Toward a More Inclusive and Diverse Military Institution

This panel addresses the question of gender and sexual identities – as well as their integration – within the military, and how this issue has become central to most armed forces in democratic countries. Indeed, the military institution has long been synonymous with hyper-masculinity and heteronormativity. Those who did not match to the expected image and qualities of a soldier did not necessarily find their place within the institution, and were sometimes the target of inappropriate behaviour, harassment or violence. If today’s and tomorrow’s military wants to pursue the agenda of inclusion and diversity that it has set itself, it requires a better understanding of what some of its members are going through as well as the implications this has for them, as shown by the researchers on this panel.

Panelists:

• Dr. Pooja Gopal
• Dr. Linna Tam-Seto
• Dr. Rachel Yon & Major Rex Steel

12:00 pm - LUNCH

1:00 pm - BOOK PRESENTATION: Dr Grazia Scoppio & Dr Sarah Greco

The Power of Diversity in the Armed Forces. International Perspectives on Immigrant Participation in the Military

While countries throughout the world rely on immigrants to support their populations and economies, access to the military is limited, denied to those who have not yet acquired citizenship. Precluding immigrants from serving in their host country’s armed forces is an issue of moral equity and operational effectiveness. Allowing immigrants to enlist ensures that the military represents the population it serves and encourages inclusivity and cultural change within the institution, while also creating a more effective military force. The Power of Diversity in the Armed Forces investigates how different countries approach the inclusion or exclusion of immigrants in their armed forces and offers immigrant military participation as a pathway to citizenship and a way to foster greater societal integration and achieve a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive military. By surveying international perspectives on immigrant and non-citizen military participation in twelve countries, The Power of Diversity in the Armed Forces introduces and examines a new way to unlock the power of diversity in military organizations globally.

1:40 pm - BREAK

1:45 pm - Panel #4 : For a Culture Change: Capturing the Military’s Institutional Evolution

This panel tackles the question of military culture, and the difficulties that lie not only in analyzing it, but specifically in changing it. Having become a matter of importance, particularly in Canada, due to the problematic behaviours associated with it, military culture nonetheless remains complex to approach as an object of study. The researchers on this panel approach the issue from different but complementary angles.

Panelists:

• Dr Isabelle Richer
• Major (retired) Marshall Gerbrandt
• Dr. Tamir Libel & Dr. Krystal Hackey

2:40 pm - BREAK

2:55 pm - Panel #5 : State Power and Military Force: A Complex and Changing Relationship

This panel focuses on the relationship between the state and the armed forces, a relationship that has evolved over time and space, and which influences the way power and strength are more generally apprehended. As the researchers on this panel will demonstrate, this relationship evolves depending on the context, including when a country is in a period of conflict, even if a state claims to be neutral. Nationalist discourses can also influence this relationship, as the presence of third actors, who do not always recognize one or even both institutions. Finally, and despite the possibilities offered by new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, we must remain cautious about the transformative potential of these new technologies, as it will be shown in this panel.

Panelists:

• Arthur Servier
• Manaswini Ramkumar
• Benjamin Toubol
• Jacob Gateau

4:05 pm - BREAK

4:10 pm - KEYNOTE: Dr. Maria Rost Rublee

The State of Diversity in Canadian Studies

In this presentation, Dr. Rublee explore the state of diversity in Canadian security studies, including demographic representation, methodological choices, and topics. Based on a multi-method investigation, she argues that Canadian security studies do not reflect the diversity of scholars and students studying it, nor the diversity of the Canadian population.

4:55 pm - Closing remarks