Sad shires and no man's land: First World War frames of reference in the British media representation of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars

Wilson, Ross

Abstract

© The Author(s) 2014. The focus of this article is the manner in which media representations in Britain of the 21st century conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan drew upon the terms, allusions and imagery of the First World War. The application of these visual and textual frames of reference has been used to demonstrate the failings of government, the need for national support or the validation of anti-war perspectives. Through the use of a critical discourse analysis, this assessment will highlight how the war of 1914-1918 is used within contemporary Britain as a vehicle for political and social commentary upon the actions of authority. Despite being fought at the outset of the last century, the newspaper coverage of the British Army's operation in Iraq and Afghanistan demonstrates how the First World War still goes on within sections of British society.

Citation

Wilson, R. (2014). Sad shires and no man's land: First World War frames of reference in the British media representation of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Media, War and Conflict, 7(3), 291-308. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750635214557987

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 1, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Oct 31, 2014
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Nov 19, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 20, 2020
• Journal: Media, War and Conflict
• Print ISSN: 1750-6352
• Electronic ISSN: 1750-6360
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 291-308
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1750635214557987
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5053701
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1750635214557987