Generals, colonels, and captains - Discourses of militarism, education, and learning in the Canadian university context

Oct 15, 2026

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A feminist discourse analysis examines how discourses of learning interact with discourses of militarism at four Canadian civilian universities named for military leaders. The article traces how the research focus emerged from campus and national representations, arguing that Canada shifts from a peace-making identity toward war-making narratives. It reviews scholarship linking education and militarism through a feminist anti-militarist lens and addresses academic freedom in critiquing one’s own institution. Findings call on educators to continue contesting gendered militarism in higher education and society.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research question and research approach

Canadian context: war commemoration and education-militarism links

CSSHE SCÉES Canadian Journal of Higher Education Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur Volume 44, No. 2, 2014, pages 105-117 Generals, colonels, and captains: Discourses of militarism, education, and learning in the Canadian university context Nancy Taber Brock University Abstract This article discusses a feminist discourse analysis that explores the ways in which discourses of learning interact with discourses of militarism at four Canadian civilian universities named for military leaders. I discuss how this particular research topic became apparent to me and explore the current national context where it can be argued that Canada is exchanging an identity of a peace-making country for one of war-making. I examine literature that connects education with militarism, taking a feminist anti-militarist approach, and discuss issues relating to academic freedom in critiquing one’s own institution. I explain my methodology and detail my findings, concluding that educators should continue to contest gendered militarism in higher education and society. Résumé Dans cet article, j’analyse le discours féministe en mettant en parallèle les discours d’apprentissage et les discours militaristes de quatre universitésciviles canadiennes portant le nom de chefs militaires. J’explique comment ce sujet de recherche particulier m’est apparu comme une évidence. J’explore également le contexte national actuel et soutiens comment le Canada mue de son identité de pays pacifiste en un pays militariste. J’étudie la documentation qui relie l’éducation au militarisme, adoptant ainsi une approche féministe antimilitariste, puis je discute de questions portant sur la liberté académiqueen évaluant mon propre établissement universitaire. J’explique maméthodologie et présente le résultat de mes recherches en concluant que les éducateurs doivent continuer à contester le militarisme sexospécifique dans le domaine de l’éducation supérieure ainsi que dans la société en général. CJHE / RCES Volume 44, No. 2, 2014 Generals, colonels, and captains / N. Taber 106 Introduction As a faculty member at Brock University, a university named for a military leader, I have been continually confronted with the ways in which the university’s connection to its namesake is privileged and integrated into daily life on campus. In August 2011, I happenedupon a photograph on the university’s home webpage, prominently displaying how orientation week was organized by the Students’ Union around an army theme. Students were pictured wearing red t-shirts, with a cartoonish profile of General Brock above the words “Isaac’s Army,” and wearing felt hats made to look like military helmets (Brock News, 2011) . This example reflects other military representations at Brock on campus, such as two larger-than-life paintings of General Brock and Chief Tecumseh at the entrance to Market Hall, the campus’s largest dining hall. Another wall of this cafeteria is covered by a 60-foot mural depicting the Battle of 1812, titled Reverberations (Brock News, 2010) . The valuing of the university’s military connections is problematic eventhough these portrayals may be understandable, given the university is named after a military leader, is located in St. Catharines, Ontario, a site of major battles in the War of 1812, and is involved in the war’s 200th anniversary celebrations. Brock University’s emphasis on the War of 1812 is mirrored atthe local, provincial, and federal levels, which include Niagara events planned to commemorate the war and attract tourist dollars (Niagara 1812 Legacy Council, 2006), an Ontario provincial vote to name October 13 as Major-General Sir Isaac Brock Day (Robbins, 2012), and a “rebranding”(Leblanc, 2012, para. 6) of the Canadian Museum of Civilization to “reshape the country’s major symbols with a greater emphasis on the monarchy and past military achievements”(para. 3), including the War of 1812. All this despite criticisms that a focus on the War

FAQs

What research question does the article raise at the start?

It asks what the implications are of viewing civilian university students as soldiers within an army framework, accompanied by military representations.

Which universities and setting does the analysis focus on?

The study analyzes four Canadian civilian universities named for military leaders and examines how militaristic ideas are promoted in the Canadian postsecondary context.

How does the author connect learning discourse with militarism?

Through a feminist discourse analysis, the article explores how educational discourses interact with militarism, drawing on examples of campus and national war-related representations.

Oct 15, 2026

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