The construction of meaning among Norwegian Afghanistan veterans

This article examines the construction of meaning among a group of Norwegian Afghanistan veterans. On the basis of interview data, three frameworks of interpretation are identified that were consistently used by the participating veterans to communicate the meaning of their deployment: (1) a military framework, which generated meaning from the military- and job-related aspects of their service; (2) a societal framework, which allowed them to emphasize the societal value of the endeavour; and (3) a personal framework, for conveying the personal impact of their experience. These meaning making strategies are analysed from a cultural perspective, in particular the lack of a shared war experience that characterizes Norwegian society. The collective arena does not provide a settled manner for how to interpret such an experience, so the construction of meaning has to take place outside the societal realm.