Project leader: Maija Spuriņa (PhD)

Project No: lzp-2024/1-0604 Project implementation: 01.01.2025.–31.12.2027.

Project funding: 299 829,00 EUR Funded by: Latvian Council of Science Contacts: PhD Maija Spuriņa, maija.spurina@lka.edu.lv

The project ‘Preparing for War: Meanings of War in Public Discourse and Youth Perception in Latvia’ (No. lzp-2024/1-0604) is funded by the Latvian Council of Science.

Abstract

The research project proposes to examine militarization from a sociocultural perspective, using the case of Latvia, which, since February 2022, has undergone exceptionally intensive militarization, including increased military spending, the introduction of universal conscription, and integration of military training in general education programs. The project aims to uncover how war and war-making are culturally framed by elites in public discourse and to see how this cultural framing resonates with the experiences of the youth. The study will contribute to the cultural strand within the field of the sociology of war that acknowledges war-making as a cultural process, where legitimization and cultural framing affect and are affected by the war. The project is guided by the strong program of cultural sociology, collective memory studies, and sociology of emotions. It will analyze willingness to defend one’s country as related to the attachment or bonds developed between the state and its constituents and explore how that bond appears in the context of current militarization, both at the level of discourse and in individual lived experiences. Fieldwork will encompass three components: a discourse analysis of media, open-ended discussions, and in-depth interviews with high-school students. The two latter will be focused on participants’ visions of the future, understanding of war and citizenship, and views on compulsory conscription.