Pathways to Pacifism and Antiwar Activism among U.S. Veterans

This book examines the journeys of 114 veterans as they seek to make sense of their military experiences and their new post service pacifist and/or antiwar identity. Focusing on the identity change process, the book reveals the powerful role of moral authenticity in living a life of well-being after military service.

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Pathways to Pacifism and Antiwar Activism among U.S. Veterans seeks to answer the question of how and why some military personnel become antiwar activists. To examine this, the authors look at the stories of 114 veterans’ pathways from a militaristic perspective to either a Just War or pacifist perspective. Identity theory provides a lens for exploring this process. The authors argue that this postservice process of identity transformation is not pathological but healthy, as it offers healing and verification of multiple roles and social aspects of the veterans’ lives.