Call for Papers - Special Issue: Injured Veterans and Spousal Caregiving
Journal of Veterans Studies (JVS) Spring 2020 Issue
Guest Editor: Neil Southern,
Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom
Deadline: January 6, 2020
The experiences of those with long-term caring responsibilities for veterans who have sustained severe psychological or physical injuries as a consequence of conflict, is an under-researched area. Given that the family is the primary agency for the frequent provision of extensive care, it is unsurprising that this role is performed by spouses. A serious injury, of course, can also have a substantial impact on the wider family unit and may, in fact, be transgenerational in its effects. However, little is known about spousal caregiving and the challenges which the role entails. This results in a two-fold problem: firstly, scholarly understanding is poor and this has implications vis-à-vis the comprehensiveness and quality of teaching programmes in veterans studies; secondly, the dearth of knowledge results in little meaningful research material being available to policymakers when making decisions about how best to help injured veterans and assist their caregivers. There are grounds for considering those who regularly provide significant levels of caregiving to qualify as a distinct category of victim. Accordingly, it is hoped that this call for papers will not only advance our empirical understanding of the role of spousal caregiving, but that it will progress theoretical discussion about the less observable dimensions of victimhood. Contributions related to the following themes are welcome: