Horses in A Modern War: A Modernity Misconstrued

Abstract

This research focuses on the representation of horses in First World War historiographies. By means of an analysis of artworks, such as paintings, cartoons and poetry, the various connotations that underline these depictions of horses are uncovered. Of all these tropes, the idea that horses were incompatible with modernity - a notion that often underlies First World War histories - became most influential in historical reconstructions of the war. This influences historiographies to such an extent that a modernity discourse can be discerned. In this discursive narrative, the modern elements of the war such as technological innovations are the primary topics of discussion. These modern elements are further juxtaposed with those elements that are considered traditional and outdated. Horses in their role as cavalry are primarily used to this end, leading to a simplification of historical reconstructions in which millions of actors are largely written out of the narrative.

Even though various historians have argued for the importance of horses in terms of both motive and fighting power, it is argued that such revisions have not been incorporated into the most recent historiographies due to the existence of a modernity discourse and the binaries underlying it. Accordingly, this thesis offers an alternative method of historical reconstruction using Bruno Latour’s Actor-Network Theory. In doing so, a primary source analysis of war diaries, photographs and maps results in a very different narrative, in which the social is no longer solely “modern” and anthropocentric. As such, an inclusive historiography becomes possible which, in turn, is sensitive to the various actors that have greatly influenced the way in which events have unfolded.