ABSTRACT
Despite the growth of military-based research in the arts and humanities, few scholars take a visual or material perspective on war and conflict. The work of the soldier might be far removed from the gentler pursuits of artists, designers and photographers, but there is a point of connection. More and more, news of military conflict reaches us through images. Here, I set out to argue that visual and material research methods are of significant value to military studies. A comparatively narrow field, academic research in art and design has traditionally been linked to museums and primarily concerned with attribution; only recently have artworks and designed objects been taken seriously as agents of change. This pattern to view objects within their wider social contexts has, however, stimulated new interest in the part the visual and material play in military life.
