Identity, Motivation and Memory

Sarah Katharina Kayss received her PhD at the War Studies Department at King’s College London. She has studied Modern History and worked as a lecturer in War and Conflict Studies. Her main research interest is the development of European defence in the twenty-first century and the role of memory in contemporary societies.

• List of Figures and TablesAbbreviations and German Words UsedAcknowledgements1. Introduction 2. The Origin of Initial Interest in a Military Career3. Perceptions of History and Reasons for Enlistment with a Special Focus on History-Oriented Reasons for Enlistment 4. Concluding RemarksAppendix BibliographyIndex

'Combining the literature on recruitment with studies on memory and culture, Kayss’ book provides a fresh new answer to the classical question of why people join the military. Based on a well-designed comparative approach and rich empirical material, she is the first to study systematically history-oriented reasons to enlist. A must-read.' - Chiara Ruffa, Uppsala University and The Swedish Defense University, Sweden'A superb study of emergent military professionalism in the contemporary period. Required reading for anybody with an interest in civil-military relations and military sociology today.' - Timothy Edmunds, Professor of International Security, University of Bristol, UK'A remarkable, innovative and original contribution to the discussion of the values and identities of British and German officer cadets. Based on a timely and illuminating analysis of an impressive amount of empirical data, this book provides new insights into the sociology of military professionalism.' - Heiko Biehl, Senior Research Director of the Military Sociology Department at the Bundeswehr Centre for Military History and Social Sciences