Security through emotions: narratives of temporal and spatial belongings of the Polish Territorial Defence Forces

Abstract

Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea, militarization processes have started to take place in central and eastern Europe. In Poland, one element of this development is the establishment of Territorial Defence Forces (TDF) in 2017. They are assigned to support their local communities, to strengthen patriotism, and to provide a feeling of security among the local population. Drawing from official websites and social media accounts of TDF as well as from national security policy documents, this article examines the role of emotions with regard to the TDF’s task as security provider. By combining literature on emotions and narratives of belonging with security conceptions, the article argues that TDF contribute to security less through their military strength than through the spatial and temporal belongings they offer publicly. Spatial narratives of belonging contain emotions of love and affection towards home regions and the state with the aim of translating them into territorialized security practices. Temporal narratives of belonging refer to the Home Army and “cursed soldiers,” revealing strong emotional attachments to armed resistance and thereby providing a role model for contemporary security production. Simultaneously, TDF express their non-belonging to the socialist past as a further element to produce security.