The Social History of the Senses in Military Service and Its Representation in Cinema

Solaymani Tapehsari, Amirsaman

doi:10.30465/shc.2025.51298.2610

The Social History of the Senses in Military Service and Its Representation in Cinema

Document Type : Research Article

Author

Amirsaman Solaymani Tapehsari

Doctor of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30465/shc.2025.51298.2610

Abstract

This study examines the sensory experiences of soldiers in military environments and their cinematic representations. The main research problem revolves around how military service alters sensory perception and how war films depict these lived experiences. Using a qualitative approach, the research combines field observations in training camps, analysis of official documents (medical exemption regulations, military manuals), and close reading of four war films: The Human Condition II, The Thin Red Line, Wooden Crosses, and The Red Badge of Courage. Findings reveal that vision and hearing dominate as tools for surveillance and obedience, reinforcing military hierarchy, while smell, taste, and touch are systematically suppressed. The film analysis demonstrates that cinema—through techniques such as low-key lighting, sound design, and haptic visuality—can authentically portray the sensory realities of soldiers, such as the terror induced by battlefield darkness or the tension of enforced silence, surpassing official narratives in complexity. The study underscores the critical role of sensory history in reconstructing military life and highlights cinema’s capacity as a multi-sensory medium to bridge the gap between institutional discipline and individual experience.

Keywords

social history

social history of senses

sensory experience

military service

war cinema

Subjects

socialhistory and art

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