WARFUN Podcast

WARFUN

Welcome to the WARFUN Podcast. WARFUN is a research project funded by the European Research Council and led by Antonio De Lauri at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway. The project investigates the plurality of experiences, the emotional implications, and the narratives of war from the perspective of those who fight. Through these conversations, the WARFUN podcast aims to offer a more nuanced understanding of what it means to be at war and how war blurs the boundaries between the extraordinary and the ordinary. WARFUN is an ERC Consolidator Grant project (ID: 101001106).

  1. 10/01/2025

    15 - The Presence–Absence of Violence: A Conversation with Eva van Roekel on the Importance and Challenges of Perpetrator Research

    In this episode, Heidi Mogstad speaks with cultural anthropologist Eva van Roekel about her unconventional research on war perpetrators in Argentina — individuals indicted for crimes against humanity during the so-called Dirty War (1974–1983). The two anthropologists discuss the ethical and methodological challenges of studying soldiers who have committed acts of violence and atrocity, and how engaging with their perspectives can complicate, but also enrich, prevailing theories as well as our moral and political assumptions. Eva van Roekel is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Heidi Mogstad is Senior Researcher at the Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway.

    38 min

  2. 06/30/2025

    14 - Humour, War and International Relations

    In this episode, Eva Johais discusses with Christopher Browning and James Brassett what a focus on humour reveals about international politics. With (international) politics increasingly becoming a site of ‘comedification’, they make compelling arguments why humour should be taken seriously. Be it its function as a mechanism of anxiety management, a tool of both governance and resistance, or its role in constituting political community, a focus on humour sheds light on both high politics and the politics of the everyday. Considering the differential role of humour in the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict over Gaza they point out the constitutive role of humour in each case. Why, for whom and with what consequences has one of these conflicts been more ‘fun’ than the other?   James Brassett is Reader in International Political Economy at the University of Warwick, UK. Christopher Browning is Reader of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick, UK. Eva Johais is a PostDoctoral Researcher for the “War and Fun: Reconceptualizing Warfare and Its Experience” project at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway.

    1h 6m

  3. 05/08/2024

    13 - Partisan Struggles of the Past, Present, Future

    In this episode, Iva Jelušić and Gal Kirn talk about the Yugoslav People’s Liberation Struggle. Discussing the Partisan art created during the war, especially on the territory of Slovenia, they consider how wartime art production supported the resistance to fascism and complemented it as well as what its values are relevant today and how it could remain relevant in the future.   Gal Kirn holds a PhD in Intercultural Studies of Ideas from the University of Nova Gorica (Slovenia). He is currently a research associate at the Faculty of Philosophy in Ljubljana (Slovenia) where he is researching “Protests, artistic practices and the culture of remembrance in the post-Yugoslav context” as well as participates in the work of the program group about the social contract in the 21st century. In his research, Gal has mostly been dealing with the context of socialist and post-socialist Slovenia and was especially interested in changes in the field of art, politics, and memory.   Iva Jelušić is a post-doctoral researcher for the “War and Fun: Reconceptualizing Warfare and Its Experience” project at the Christian Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway.   Link to the t-shirt Gal mentions during the conversation: https://etrgovina.ujp.gov.si/muzejnzssplet/sl-SI/Product/Product?id=rQnw8z4O9xzV2x7DxZi6LA--

    47 min

  4. 04/11/2024

    12 - The ‘bad’ anthropologist? A conversation with Thomas Randrup Pedersen about military anthropology and soldiering in the post-9/11 era.

    In this episode, Heidi Mogstad and Thomas Randrup Pedersen discuss anthropological attitudes to research on the military and some of the ethical and methodological complexities of studying and writing about soldiers and warfare. Pedersen shares experiences from his fieldwork with combat troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and reflects on his turn to existential anthropology. Mogstad and Pedersen also discuss some of their overlapping findings, including soldierly tropes of adventure, fun and post-war growth. Thomas Randrup Pedersen Thomas is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the Royal Danish Defence College. Heidi Mogstad is a Post-Doctoral Researcher for the “War and Fun: Reconceptualizing Warfare and Its Experience” project at the Christian Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway.

    41 min

  5. 02/28/2024

    11 – Frames and experience of soldiering in Germany. A conversation with Maren Tomforde

    This episode first traces how public perceptions of soldiers have changed over time, including the recent reappraisal of the status of the armed forces in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The episode also sheds light on how soldiers experience civil-military relations. Against this background, the conversation revolves around German society’s relation to war. The conversation then digs into ostensibly contrasting realms of soldier experience. It addresses mechanisms to deal with fighting and killing and reveals the unexpected omnipresence of humor in soldier life.   Maren Tomforde is an anthropologist and the Head of Global International Relations at the German Armed Forces Command and Staff College. Maren is also a Professor at Macquarie University in Sydney.   Eva Johais is a Post Doctoral Researcher for the “War and Fun: Reconceptualizing Warfare and Its Experience” project at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway.

    34 min

  6. 02/21/2024

    10 - On Many Roles of Music during the Siege of Sarajevo (1992-1995). A Conversation with Petra Hamer

    In this episode, Iva Jelušić and Petra Hamer talk about musicking in the besieged Sarajevo. The conversation covers many related aspects, from practical issues arising from the lack of electricity to the activities of musicians who stayed and those who fled as well as music-related activities of the soldiers. Petra talks about the omnipresence of music in the city and the reasons why it was completely expected. Petra Hamer is an ethnologist and cultural anthropologist researching popular music and culture during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992-1995). She holds a PhD from the University of Graz, where she was researching artistic units of Bosnian-Herzegovinian army, their production of popular patriotic music and the question of national identity construction. She is currently employed as a postdoctoral researcher on the ERC project “The roles of the agency of the dead in the lives of individuals in contemporary society.” Iva Jelušić is a post-doctoral researcher for the “War and Fun: Reconceptualizing Warfare and Its Experience” project at the Christian Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway.   Some of the songs mentioned in the conversation: Dino Merlin: Vojnik sreće (Soldier of Luck)  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qp5ZPm8-S8⁠ Dino Merlin: Jedna si jedina (You Arethe One and Only)  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RORiH6WWt9Q⁠ Hanka Paldum: Žuta Fadila (Yellow Fadila)  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wuiTMhb-xg&t=108s⁠ Nazif Gljiva: Branioci Sarajeva (Defenders of Sarajevo)  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9WOds3lXHA⁠ Mladen Vojičić - Tifa: Ponesi zastavu Dragane Vikiću (Carry the Flag, Dragan Vikić)  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeddbTjyYnQ⁠ Macbeth: Mnoge će majke (Many Mothers Will)  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8u-X_w95Wg⁠ Ceca: Volim te (I Love You) ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jcg2sAKTkXM⁠

    30 min

  7. 12/05/2023

    09 - Living for a better future at the El Shatt refugee camp

    In this episode, Iva Jelušić and Florian Bieber talk about the El Shatt refugee camp in Egypt that operated during the final two years of World War II. The conversation provides an overview of the functioning of this camp, the life of the people in it, and the aspects that made it a well-organized as well as a joyful establishment, which was different from other refugee camps. You can see images from the camp in the WarFun visual archive. Florian Bieber is a political scientist and historian working on inter-ethnic relations, ethnic conflict and nationalism, focusing on Southeastern Europe. He is a Professor in South-East European History and Politics and director of the Center for South East European Studies at the University of Graz. He coordinates the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group and is President of the Association for the Study of Nationalities. Florian has published widely, with his most recent books including Negotiating Unity and Diversity in the European Union (with Roland Bieber, 2021), as well as Debating Nationalism. Other published books include, The Global Spread of Nations and The Rise of Authoritarianism in the Western Balkans (both published in 2020). The book Hvar in the Modern Age: Identity and Change in Southeastern Europe, which is mentioned in the conversation, is expected to be published in 2024. Iva Jelušić is a post-doctoral researcher for the “War and Fun: Reconceptualizing Warfare and Its Experience” project at the Christian Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway.

    24 min

  8. 10/05/2023

    08 - Fun and the soldier trophy selfies. A Conversation with Elissa Mailänder

    In this episode, Iva Jelušić and Elissa Mailänder talk about Elissa's research of soldier amateur photography, particularly during the Second World War. The focus of their conversation is what can be discovered about soldiers and the ways they had fun through these seemingly banal tokens of war. Elissa Mailänder is Associate Professor of Contemporary History at Sciences Po in Paris. She is an expert on violence, gender and sexuality; material culture; and the history of everyday life. In her research to date, she has primarily focused on 20th century Germany and Austria. Iva Jelušić is a Post-Doctoral Researcher for the “War and Fun: Reconceptualizing Warfare and Its Experience” project at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway.

    21 min
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About

Welcome to the WARFUN Podcast. WARFUN is a research project funded by the European Research Council and led by Antonio De Lauri at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway. The project investigates the plurality of experiences, the emotional implications, and the narratives of war from the perspective of those who fight. Through these conversations, the WARFUN podcast aims to offer a more nuanced understanding of what it means to be at war and how war blurs the boundaries between the extraordinary and the ordinary. WARFUN is an ERC Consolidator Grant project (ID: 101001106).

Information

  • Creator
    WARFUN
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © WARFUN
  • Show Website
    WARFUN Podcast