Veterans Studies’ New Trailblazer
All academic fields endure the ordeals of formation and development, growing from a set of vague principles into concrete disciplines. In the midst of this progression, one finds the trailblazers — those unswerving academics dedicated to their nascent fields of study and without whom such pivotal movements would not occur. In the burgeoning discipline of Veterans Studies, Dr. Mariana Grohowski — editor, educator, writer — is one such pioneer.
Grohowski, a resident of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Veterans Studies (JVS) — the only academic journal to date dedicated to the study and scholarly investigation of military veterans’ experiences at home and at war. While previously housed in larger disciplines, scholarly work devoted to the veteran experience has in and of itself proven to be a viable area for both research and teaching; moreover, in founding JVS, Grohowski established the landscape on which the edifice of her field could begin a more enduring assembly.
Grohowski earned her PhD in Composition & Rhetoric, the professional field of writing, research, and instruction. Like most other scholars, she began her career with the intention of establishing her purview as an educator and published academic. With a decade of teaching and a sizeable publishing oeuvre, Grohowski accomplished her goal, but it was during this time that she began to acknowledge the lack of voices across her field. Prior to 2012, much of Grohowski’s writing had focused on women and gender studies, but it was exactly because of these foci that her concentration shifted to military veterans. At the time, Grohowski had been looking for writings on and by women veterans specifically but realized they were few and far between. It was at this point that she saw not only an overt need for a platform but also a place where there could be a greater congress of voices.
the Veterans in Society initiative promotes scholarship that addresses enduring questions raised by military veterans — of any era, any loyalty, any mode of service — from their first separation from the armed forces through their lives and into memory, myth, and representation
In her effort to found the journal, Grohowski began to correspond with scholars from around the country who had experience working with student veterans. She soon discovered a cohort of like-minded scholars and students who met regularly at Virginia Tech, a group that called themselves Veterans in Society.
The meeting turned out to be pivotal; in 2013, Grohowski and members of Veterans in Society established the first Veterans Studies symposium of the same name, the Veterans in Society (ViS) Conference. Today, both JVS and the ViS conference are officially affiliated in the mission of calling attention to and understanding the rich diversity among veterans, military families, and their interactions with civilian societies. As stated on the ViS Conference website, “the Veterans in Society initiative promotes scholarship that addresses enduring questions raised by military veterans — of any era, any loyalty, any mode of service — from their first separation from the armed forces through their lives and into memory, myth, and representation.”
I wouldn’t have started the journal if I was unable to develop the editorial board. The support I received from people was all positive, so I gave it a go.
With the establishment of the ViS conference, Veterans in Society members also began to take on key roles in the expansion of JVS. As Growhowski states, “I wouldn’t have started the journal if I was unable to develop the editorial board. The support I received from people was all positive, so I gave it a go.”
Grohowski maintains that creating a medium for scholarly work in the field of Veterans Studies taught her how much veterans are a diverse group: “Like the saying goes, if you know one veteran, you know one veteran.” In her discussions with veterans, Grohowski felt that talking about veterans increased the kinds of discourse available and also opened up opportunities to allow people to speak about other important issues, like healthcare, racism, or quality of life. So far, many articles in the journal have focused on therapeutic avenues for helping veterans. As such, Grohowski herself has stated that with so many ways to attain wellness, it is hopeful that every veteran will be able to do so.