Objectives

The objectives of this academic network are three-fold.

1. To bring together the leading, established academics and early career researchers, but not necessarily historians, from around the world who are actively engaging the historical developments in the areas of welfare, care and medical provisions afforded to service personnel, their families (partners and children) and other dependants. The network demonstrates that valuable research has been and is being undertaken by a burgeoning cohort within the academy and beyond who focus on varied regions, conflicts and periods. Research that provides an historical underpinning to contemporary welfare systems and provisions and can not only be used to critically evaluate the same but also has the potential to influence going forward.

2. To provide a forum where all of these scholars of a distinct area of women’s/gender, social (welfare and policy), legal and military history can come together to present, discuss and debate their research findings relative to this still understudied yet hugely important aspect of the global and transnational social history of the military.

3. To develop tangible outputs from these interactions, through conferences, seminar series, and academic publications.

The Military Welfare History Network endeavours to bring together the foremost researchers and scholars from around the world who work in the diverse field of ‘military welfare’, with a view to stimulating greater interest in the field and encouraging further research and the coming together of these people in various parts of the world.