Share the story of what Open Access means to you
![a graphic of a lock that is open, the universal logo for open access](/assets/oa-lock-logo-lg-a95dd8d9f9fe5e21ab4499ffd0c8661e55f7d788ae0a03f19a6749eb82e3e899.png)
University of Michigan needs your feedback to better understand how readers are using openly available ebooks. You can help by taking a short, privacy-friendly survey.
Always at War: British Public Narratives of War
Thomas ColleyCompelling narratives are integral to successful foreign policy, military strategy, and international relations. Yet often narrative is conceived so broadly it can be hard to identify. The formation of strategic narratives is informed by the stories governments think their people tell, rather than those they actually tell. This book examines the stories told by a broad cross-section of British society about their country's past, present, and future role in war, using in-depth interviews with 67 diverse citizens. It brings to the fore the voices of ordinary people in ways typically absent in public opinion research.
Always at War complements a significant body of quantitative research into British attitudes to war, and presents an alternative case in a field dominated by US public opinion research. Rather than perceiving distinct periods between war and peace, British citizens see their nation as so frequently involved in conflict that they consider the country to be continuously at war. At present, public opinion appears to be a stronger constraint on Western defense policy than ever.
-
Cover
-
Title Page
-
Copyright Page
-
Contents
-
Preface
-
Acknowledgments
-
Introduction
-
Chapter 1. Analysing Narratives, Identity, Memory, and War
-
Chapter 2. Britain and the Banality of Continuous War
-
Chapter 3. Britain’s Material Decline
-
Chapter 4. Punching Above Its Weight or Vanishing Force
-
Chapter 5. Progressive Narratives of Britain and War
-
Chapter 6. Is Britain a Force for Good?
-
Chapter 7. Forgetting 9/11
-
Chapter 8. Looking to the Future
-
Appendix: Transcription Conventions
-
Notes
-
References
-
Index
![](/image-service/sq87bw0721564730252/full/full/0/default.png)
- 978-0-472-03869-5 (paper)
- 978-0-472-12572-2 (ebook)
- 978-0-472-00425-6 (audio download)
- 978-0-472-13144-0 (hardcover)