A Conversation on Teaching War: From the First World War to Iraq
I am happy to share the publication of my article, “From the First World War to Iraq: Teaching War and Conflict through Contemporary Literature and Culture – A Reflective Essay and Response”, in the special issue Teaching the First World War for the Twenty-First Century: Pedagogies in Dialogue, guest edited by Ann-Marie Einhaus, Susan R. Grayzel, and Catriona Pennell.
The piece began with my reflection on teaching war and conflict through contemporary literature and culture in our MA programme, and on how more recent texts can help students think about the long legacies of the First World War. It also considers questions that are central to my teaching and to the Beyond Postmemory project: memory, trauma, ethics, representation, and the difficulty of speaking about war from the present.
The journal then invited a response from Andrew Frayn (Edinburgh Napier University), whose work many readers in the field will know. His response was thoughtful and generous, and helped turn the essay into a real conversation.
One of the aspects I value most about academic life is precisely this: the opportunity to think alongside others. I greatly enjoyed the exchange with Andrew, and the chance to reflect together on what we teach, why we teach it, and how we encourage students to engage with the difficult subject of war.
I hope you enjoy following this conversation as much as we enjoyed having it. You can read it, free to download, here.