This subfield studies the anthropological dimensions of war, conflict, and peace-building, including their social, cultural, and political aspects.
Anthropology: An interdisciplinary study of cultural and social human behavior, which includes analyzing the ways in which social, cultural, and institutional systems impact individuals and their actions.
Conflict and Warfare: A complex series of interactions between groups of people, in which they attempt to gain the upper hand by disrupting or defeating the others' objectives, actions, or ideals.
Military Strategy: The art and science of using military force to achieve or maintain political objectives, including tactics, logistics, and leadership.
Military History: The study of the changing nature, conduct, and outcome of military conflict over time, including the factors that have influenced successful military campaigns and the factors that have led to defeat.
Military Sociology: The ways in which military organizations, hierarchies, and cultures interact with society, including examining the socialization and professionalization of members of the military.
Military Anthropology: The study of the social, cultural, linguistic, and psychological factors that influence military conflict, including the examination of how different cultures approach warfare and how military organizations and institutions shape their members and are shaped by societal values.
Ethnicity and Conflict: The role that identity politics and inter-group conflict play in military conflict, including the relationship between ethnicity and nationalism and ethnic conflicts that arise during wartime.
Violence and Trauma: The psychological and sociological effects of violence and trauma on individuals and societies involved in military conflicts, including PTSD and the effects of violence on social institutions.
Human Rights and War Crimes: The study of international law and norms of warfare, including the impact of human rights law and the role of military courts in dealing with war crimes and violations of humanitarian law.
Gender and Violence: The relationship between gender, power, and violence in military conflict, including the ways in which gender and sexuality shape military culture and the experiences of women and LGBT+ individuals in the military.
Combat Anthropology: This type of Military Anthropology mainly focuses on the ethnographic study of the combat environment, comprising the study of fighting tactics, experience and knowledge of soldiers, and cultural values of the military organization in conflict zones.
Cultural Anthropology of Conflict: This type of Military Anthropology involves an analysis of the cultural dimensions of conflict and other politically advocated institutional organizations such as the military, police, counter-insurgency units, and international peacekeeping organizations.
Operational Anthropology: This type of Military Anthropology aims to provide practical and contextual knowledge to military personnel and improve operational outcomes. In this type, the anthropologist work directly with the military commanders, assisting them in their mission planning process, and by using ethnographic data to create “social maps” of the mission area.
Peacekeeping Anthropology: This branch of Military Anthropology aims to provide anthropological and cultural knowledge to peacekeeping forces and build relations with indigenous communities in the conflict areas.
Ethno-Strategy: This type of Military Anthropology is used to create strategies that are more comprehensive in nature. It revolves around understanding the cultural values, norms and the language of the opposite side to develop a more amicable and effective solution to the conflict.
Military Medical Anthropology: This type of Military Anthropology looks at the entire system of factors that are responsible for the welfare of military personnel, including nutrition, cultural practices, and the effect of local diseases on soldiers.
Counter-Terrorism Anthropology: This type of Military Anthropology deals with the study of the anthropological and cultural aspects of terrorism and its counter-strategies. The anthropologists provide insights by understanding the communal, historical, and linguistic factors behind the conflicts.