In contemporary armies violence among soldiers seems to be a universal phenomenon found in
both professional and drafted armies. However the comparison of violent practices in various
armies around the world allows us to identify specific features linked to those
countries'sociological political or anthropological contexts. Hazing for example seems to be
more violent in the armies of transitional societies (Russia Eastern Europe Latin America)
where social tensions encountered by citizens in their daily lives are carried over to and
sometimes intensified in the military. The comparison of Russian dedovshchina with the
situa-tion in other countries makes it possible to identify universal transitional and
national characteristics of military violence. Contents: Konstantin Bannikov on the
consequences of the spread throughout society of archaic violence produced by the Russian army
Anna Colin Lebedev on the perception of military violence in Russian society Anton Oleynik on
informal relationships among prisoners and conscripts Kirill Podrabinek on the reasons of the
prevalence of dedovshchina in the post-Soviet context Igor Obraztsov on the historical roots
of dedovshchina Vadim Mikhailin on the role of language in the military milieu Julie Elkner
on the Committee of Soldiers Mothers Bakit Katchekeyev on hazing in the Kyrgyz army Irakli
Sesiashvili on hazing in the Georgian army Hana Cervinkova on hazing in the Czech army James
Wither on bullying in the British army Eduardo Paes-Machado&Carlos Linhares de Albuquerque on
hazing in the Brazilian police Joris Van Bladel on dedovshchina and the all-volunteer force.
