Frames of War and War Perceptions: Towards a Renewed Conceptualization of the War-Society Nexus

This paper aims to establish a theoretical foundation for the analytical framework essential to a comprehensive understanding of this monograph’s overarching themes. In so doing, it also makes contributions to advancing the research agenda in the sociological exploration of war-related issues. Drawing upon Judith Butler’s seminal work, combined with the Goffmanian sociology of frame analysis, first I aim to conceptualize frames of war in a way that will offer innovative insights into the intricate relations between war and society. I will furthermore introduce the concept of war perceptions as the way in which war is perceived by members of different societal sectors—policy-makers, journalists, specialists, professionals, civic activists, and ordinary people­—emphasizing its relationship to frames of war and its dependence on social, cultural, and historical contexts. Specifically, war can frame society by shaping people’s perceptions of war; conversely, war perceptions can also profoundly influence the risks that certain societies become involved in warfare. Through the illustrative cases of Eastern Europe and East Asia examined in this monograph, our analytical framework can help comprehend the complex interplay between war and society in the contemporary global context, using a comparative lens that considers the diverse natures of historical events, geopolitical tensions, and cultural identities. Finally, echoing West and Matthewman (2016)’s invitation for a sociology of war and the military that gives more attention to the influence of state violence on the shaping of social relations, the conclusion suggests directions for future research in light of the analytical framework elaborated here and highlights valuable insights that can be obtained from integrating sociological perspectives into the study of war-related issues.