This book introduces military humanities (MILHUM) as a new field of inquiry to demonstrate the utility of the humanities for a critical understanding of the military and its practices, and as a tool for developing these practices.

Modelled on the medical humanities, MILHUM aims to play an analogous role for military education and the military profession. This edited volume gathers contributions from authors based at both civilian and military higher education institutions representing a wide range of humanities traditions – from linguistics, languages and literature, to music, history and philosophy. Throughout the chapters, the authors draw on the tools of their disciplines and others to present an anthology that spans both empirical and theoretical analysis and investigates militaries and war. The result is a volume that persuasively and cohesively argues for the value of the humanities for military practice and professionalism by offering insights that will inform the conduct of military operations, the provision of military education, and the development of professional ethos – all arrived at through humanities approaches.

This book will prove a valuable resource to military academic communities, comprised of both civilian scholar and military scholar-practitioners at military academic institutions and civilian academic institutions with military education programmes. It will also engage scholars and advanced students in the fields of critical military studies, war studies, security studies, conflict studies and civil-military relations.