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date: 25 February 2021

Abstract and Keywords

Recent research estimates that one in every five military personnel who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan will develop some form of posttraumatic stress (PTS). The impact of war and conflict on individuals and families can be significant and long term. The chapter highlights important ways in which interdisciplinary music projects are tackling the issues related to military personnel coming home from recent conflicts. The chapter will highlight two recent projects in Australia, Fred Smith’s Going Home initiative, part of a larger research project focused on arts-based approaches to supporting ex-military personnel and their families, and A Soldiers Wife, developed by Sugarrush in collaboration with Legacy Australia. While each of the projects had different aims and modalities, they attempted to incorporate the military vernacular as a way to engage and respond to the needs of current and former members of the armed services. The chapter will explore these modalities and discuss the implications for future arts and music projects.

Keywords: post traumatic stress (PTS), war, conflict, veterans, mental health, coming home, transition, military

Michael Balfour

Michael Balfour is Inaugural Chair of Applied and Social Theatre at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. His area of research is focused on the social applications of theatre ↵and performance and explores how the arts can respond to contemporary contexts, from working in prisons to understanding the role of theatre in war. Professor Balfour has published three monographs and four edited books, as well as more than twenty-six peer-reviewed papers in high impact journals and collections. He has won many awards for his research in arts and health, applied theatre, as well as several prestigious National Teaching Awards.

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