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Young People’s Experiences with Militarization in Germany, following the start of the Russian War on Ukraine in 2022

Balcke, Marlene LU (2026) SGED10 20261
Human Geography
Department of Human Geography
Abstract
This thesis explores how young people in Landkreis Harburg, Germany, make sense ofmilitarization and security narratives in their everyday lives, following Russia's full-scaleinvasion of Ukraine in 2022. Drawing on the conceptual frameworks of militarization andbanal militarism, the study examines how military logic becomes embedded in civilian lifethrough both institutional and informal processes, and how young people receive, negotiate,and occasionally resist these developments. The analysis uses qualitative data from a focusgroup with high school students and semi-structured interviews. This showed that while the Bundeswehr has become increasingly normalized in young people's everyday lives throughsocial media, peer culture, and career... (More)
This thesis explores how young people in Landkreis Harburg, Germany, make sense ofmilitarization and security narratives in their everyday lives, following Russia's full-scaleinvasion of Ukraine in 2022. Drawing on the conceptual frameworks of militarization andbanal militarism, the study examines how military logic becomes embedded in civilian lifethrough both institutional and informal processes, and how young people receive, negotiate,and occasionally resist these developments. The analysis uses qualitative data from a focusgroup with high school students and semi-structured interviews. This showed that while the Bundeswehr has become increasingly normalized in young people's everyday lives throughsocial media, peer culture, and career fairs. This normalization remains deeply ambivalentand is shaped by ethical tensions, pragmatic considerations, historical fears, and genderspecific expectations while reinforcing existing attitudes rather than bringing aboutfundamental changes in them. The results reflect broader patterns of banal militarism, wheremilitary institutions are integrated into daily life through social media, career fairs, and peerculture, without demanding active political identification. By foregrounding young people'slived experiences, the thesis contributes to underexplored debates on civil-military relationsand everyday militarization in post-Zeitenwende Germany, highlighting the contradictionsbetween historical anti-militarist culture and the current push toward rearmament. (Less)
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author
Balcke, Marlene LU
supervisor
organization
course
SGED10 20261
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Militarization, Banal militarism, Security narratives, Young people's views on the military, Conscription debates, Everyday life, Germany, Bundeswehr
language
English
id
9232565
date added to LUP
2026-06-15 11:20:40
date last changed
2026-06-15 11:20:40
@misc{9232565,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores how young people in Landkreis Harburg, Germany, make sense ofmilitarization and security narratives in their everyday lives, following Russia's full-scaleinvasion of Ukraine in 2022. Drawing on the conceptual frameworks of militarization andbanal militarism, the study examines how military logic becomes embedded in civilian lifethrough both institutional and informal processes, and how young people receive, negotiate,and occasionally resist these developments. The analysis uses qualitative data from a focusgroup with high school students and semi-structured interviews. This showed that while the Bundeswehr has become increasingly normalized in young people's everyday lives throughsocial media, peer culture, and career fairs. This normalization remains deeply ambivalentand is shaped by ethical tensions, pragmatic considerations, historical fears, and genderspecific expectations while reinforcing existing attitudes rather than bringing aboutfundamental changes in them. The results reflect broader patterns of banal militarism, wheremilitary institutions are integrated into daily life through social media, career fairs, and peerculture, without demanding active political identification. By foregrounding young people'slived experiences, the thesis contributes to underexplored debates on civil-military relationsand everyday militarization in post-Zeitenwende Germany, highlighting the contradictionsbetween historical anti-militarist culture and the current push toward rearmament.}},
  author       = {{Balcke, Marlene}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Young People’s Experiences with Militarization in Germany, following the start of the Russian War on Ukraine in 2022}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}