Gaskell, Elizabeth (2019) The pen and the sword: the development of military periodicals and military professionalisation, 1790-1914. PhD thesis, University of Greenwich.

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Abstract

This thesis will answer a number of questions regarding the development of military periodicals from 1790 to 1914. It will explore why they emerged when they did, the different forms that they took, and how they fitted into the wider publishing environment. Alongside that, it will investigate those people who were involved with these publications, the proprietors, publishers, printers, contributors and readers, including how they were purchased and where they were read. Finally it will look at the role that military periodicals played in the development of professional identity within the military during this period. In doing all this it will establish the intersections between the military, the media, and civil society during the long nineteenth century.

The body of the thesis itself has four distinct sections. The first chapter deals with the methods, concepts and subjects that underpin the project, and covers many issues common to periodicals studies, while also raising some of the challenges unique to researching military periodicals. Chapters Two and Three form a second section comprising a chronological outline of the development of military periodicals, looking at the variety of forms, styles and roles that these publications took. They will investigate periodicals produced by commercial publishers, religious organisations, military institutions, and British army regiments. Chapters Four and Five constitute the third section. They take a thematic approach, investigating how military periodicals engaged with a number of the important issues of the day, including war, peace, peacetime preparedness, and professional identity. The conclusion will draw together the different strands discussed in all of the chapters, showing common themes and issues that run through the thesis. Importantly it will also indicate areas for future research.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	military periodicals, journals, military identity, 19th century,
Subjects:	U Military Science > U Military Science (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences > School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Last Modified:	05 Aug 2025 14:46
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/50901

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