Thesis

Battlefield tours to the former Western Front : what do young people experience?

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Rights statement
Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2024
Thesis identifier
  • T16945
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 201679785
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • This research uses qualitative methods to consider the experiences of twenty-eight young people during a visit to the former First World War battlefields of Belgium and France. Data was collected using participant diaries and semi-structured interviews, followed by a process of thematic analysis to identify themes in the young peoples’ written and verbal responses. Two themes were identified, analysed, and discussed, with relevant subthemes; Landscape (remembrance and commemoration): walking in the footsteps of others (a vicarious experience), understanding the war (a century removed), and duality of war and commemoration of the dead. Understanding death through the context of conflict: comprehension through empathy and face-to-face with human remains. The findings of this research suggest that young people who visit the former First World War battlefields of Belgium and France are likely to experience a form of emotional dissonance as they interpret and process the landscape(s); catalysed, in part, by their existing historical knowledge and understanding of what happened [from classroom learning] and their response to exploring these locations in the present day as commemorative sites. This research also suggests that there is, for educators, an opportunity to challenge conventional perceptions of conflict beyond existing popular narratives; as young people on battlefield tours are likely to shift from viewing the First World War from a nationalistic perspective to instead recognising it as a shared human experience. Lastly, this research acknowledges that for young people who participate in battlefield tours there is a contemplation of mortality, a deep introspection about loss and its resonance with their lives, families, and friends; an emotional impact that was compounded for the participants of this research when they were [unusually] witness to the recovery of First World War casualties at an archaeological dig.
Advisor / supervisor
  • Rivers, Ian
  • Essex, Jane
Resource Type
DOI
Date Created
  • 2023

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