Developing a Sense of Meaningful Belonging Among Veterans

The University at Buffalo (UB), in collaboration with the Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, and the Veterans One-stop Center of Western New York, are working on a project, titled “Developing a Sense of Meaningful Belonging Among Veterans.” The project is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities Dialogues on the Experience of War program, and will take place in Buffalo, NY, from May 2021 until October 2022. The project consists of a six-day preparatory program to train six discussion leaders at UB in August 2021, two cycles of six monthly discussion programs for military veterans, an exhibition of veterans’ photographs, and a public panel discussion at the downtown Buffalo and Erie County Library in April 2022. The wars to be covered are the American Civil War and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We will explore the theme of meaningful belonging through the following six topics: loss and suffering; disability; mental health; reconciliation; public memory; and reintegration. The genres of humanities sources to be considered are historical writings, letters, fiction, and documentaries. The project aims to facilitate an understanding of how veterans develop a feeling of social connection and a feeling that active participation in the civilian world is possible.