Henry Brown

Research Topic

'Our Elemental Soldier': Military Culture and Military Identity in the Popular Army during the Spanish Civil War (1936 - 1939)

Supervisor: Professor Tom Buchanan

My research examines the efforts of the Republican faction (1936-1939) to redefine the role of the soldier and the values of the military in accordance with both a revolutionary socio-cultural order and the demands of a modern conflict. This was a project of significance not only to Republican Spain but internationally as "the Republican combatant" became the incarnation of the struggle against global fascism. At the same time, my project will detail how these soldiers understood, contested, and negotiated the roles and values assigned to them by Republican military and political elites. By applying a military-cultural framework, my research will illuminate the complex interactions between warfare and culture in the modern era, as well as the immensely variable ways in which indviduals regard military service.