Courses and lectures

2015

PhD course: Anthropology of (the) Willing: The Subject Is Dead, Long Live the Subject!, Copenhagen Graduate School, University of Copenhagen, 14-15 September, organized by Thomas Randrup Pedersen. Thomas presented the paper “Will to Virtue: Endurance, Edgework, and Engagement among Danish ISAF Troops”.

Master class with Michael D. Jackson and Francine Lorimer: The Concept of the Everyday Life, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, 15 June, Thomas Randrup Pedersen presented his PhD project “What Doesn’t Kill You: An Anthropological Exploration of Denmark’s New Warrior Generation”.  

Research stay abroad: Thomas Randrup Pedersen was Visiting Graduate Researcher, Dept. of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 6 April – 8 June. Thomas was supervised by Prof. C. Jason Throop and took part in the interdisciplinary discussion group Mind, Medicine, and Culture (MMAC). Thomas also exchanged ideas and debated issues with Prof. Sabine Frühstück, Dept. of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

Guest lecture: “Once Were Warriors: Norse Mythology and Viking Heritage among Danish ISAF Troops” given by Thomas Randrup Pedersen at the bachelor’s/master’s course Danish Culture and Society, Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, 10 February.

2014

PhD course: Narrative Theory in the Social Sciences, Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, 2-4 June, Thomas Randrup Pedersen presented the paper “War on Narratives: Political Grunt Stories and Ethical Soldier Tales within the Ranks of Danish ISAF Troops”.

PhD course: Phenomenology and Existentialism in the Social Sciences, Human Centered Communications and Informatics, Aalborg University, 26-27 May, Thomas Randrup Pedersen presented the paper “Troop Movements: Existential Mobility among Danish ISAF Forces”.

PhD course: The Trouble with Violence – Lessons from Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, Copenhagen Graduate School of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 13-14 May, Thomas Randrup Pedersen presented the paper “Forceful Desires: An Anatomy of Violence among Danish ISAF Troops”.

PhD retreat: The Anthropology of Moralities, Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Vandrarhem Söderåsen, 5-7 May, Thomas Randrup Pedersen presented the paper “’Bad Asses’ Fight ‘Bad Guys’: Ethical Quests for Existential Fulfilment among Danish ISAF Troops”.

2013

Guest lecture: “Honour and Strength: A Hero’s Welcome?” given by Thomas Randrup Pedersen at the bachelor’s/master’s course Heroes, Humanitarians, or Hooligans? Examining Contemporary Soldier Identity, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, October 23

Master’s course: “Civil-military Relations in War and Peace: Anthropological Perspectives”, Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen. Lecturers: Birgitte Refslund Sørensen and Thomas Randrup Pedersen.

Guest lecture: “Danish Soldiers Today: Heroes, Men of Honour, Strong Human Beings?” given by Thomas Randrup Pedersen at the master’s course Soldier Identity, Military Culture, and Complex Emergencies, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, 28 February

2012

PhD course: Civil-Military Relations: The State and Organized Violence, Centre for Military Studies, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, 26-30 November, Thomas Randrup Pedersen presented the paper  “Recruiting the ‘Warrior’, Recognising the ‘Diplomat’: Outline of an Anthropological Exploration of Civil-military Relations in Today’s Denmark”.