Dr Nick Caddick

Nick Caddick For media enquiries please contact the Press Team
Associate Professor of Political Sociology & Deputy Director of the VFI

Veterans and Families Institute for Military Social Research

Faculty:
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Social Care
Location:
Chelmsford
Areas of Expertise:
Critical Military Studies , Sociology
Research Supervision:
Yes

Nick’s research uses narrative as a conceptual device for studying the legacy of war and conflict, both for individuals and in the realm of global politics. 

[email protected]

Background

Nick joined Anglia Ruskin University in 2015 shortly after completing his doctorate at Loughborough University, during which he explored the effects of surfing on the wellbeing of combat veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress. His work is situated in ‘narrative global politics’, an interdisciplinary area of study examining the power of narrative and storytelling to shape ideas, beliefs, values, and experience in global politics. Nick regularly publishes work on various topics related to narrative, war and conflict, as well as research methodologies. He also reviews work for the Critical Military Studies journal, and for a range of other scholarly publications.

Nick’s recent work has used narrative to examine the legacy of war, conflict and military life for a range of different groups, including veterans, families, civilians, and society as a whole. From 2021-2023, he led a multi-partner collaborative project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) examining the role of arts, culture and sport in supporting veteran transition to civilian life. The project resulted in a series of co-created documentary films about transition to civilian life, which can all be viewed here: Stories in Transition: The Films.

Nick is a member of our Safe and Inclusive Communities research theme.

Research interests
  • International Studies
  • Narrative and storytelling
  • Veterans and families
  • Qualitative research methods
Areas of research supervision

Nick would be pleased to consider supervising doctoral students with the following research interests/topics:

  • International Studies, International Relations
  • Gender and violence
  • Narrative, Narratology, Socio-Narratology
Teaching
From September 2025, Nick will be leading a new interdisciplinary Ruskin Module, ‘Can stories change the world?’, focusing on “the power of story” to shape the world and our knowledge of it. 
Qualifications
  • BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Gloucestershire
  • Graduate Diploma (Psychology), University of Gloucestershire
  • MSc Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Loughborough University
  • PhD Social Sciences, Loughborough University
  • PG Cert Learning & Teaching, Anglia Ruskin University
Memberships, editorial boards
  • Editorial Board of Critical Military Studies
Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange
  • 2021 – 2023: Stories in Transition: Examining the role of arts, culture and sport in veteran transition to civilian life. Funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC); £822,598, Principal Investigator
  • 2021 – 2023: Understanding and improving Non-UK service and transition in the British Armed forces. Funded by Forces in Mind Trust; £188,365, Principal Investigator
  • 2017 – 2018: Meeting the needs of Commonwealth Personnel and families: An audit of service provision. Funded by Forces in Mind Trust; £28,664, Principal Investigator
Selected recent publications

Books

Caddick, N. (2024). The cultural politics of veterans’ narratives: Beyond the wire. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Peer reviewed articles

Antrobus, S., Bulmer, S., Caddick, N., & West, H. (2023). Voices of veteran researchers. Critical Military Studies. 

Caddick, N. (2021). Life, embodiment and (post)war stories: Studying narrative in critical military studies. Critical Military Studies, 7(2), 155-172.

Caddick, N., Cooper, L., Godier-McBard, L., & Fossey, M. (2021). Hierarchies of wounding: Media framings of ‘combat’ and ‘non-combat’ injury. Media, War & Conflict, 14(4), 503-521.

Caddick, N. (2021). Poetic encounters with war’s ‘others’. Critical Military Studies, 7(3), 355-359.

Cree, A., & Caddick, N. (2020). Unconquerable heroes: Invictus, redemption, and the cultural politics of narrative. Journal of War and Culture Studies, 13(3), 258-278.

Caddick, N., Cullen, H., Clarke, A., Fossey, M., Hill, M., McGill, G., Greaves, J., Taylor, T., Meads, C., & Kiernan, M. (2019). Ageing, limb-loss, and military veterans: A systematic review of the literature. Ageing and Society, 39, pp. 1582-1610.

Caddick, N., McGill, G., Greaves, J., & Kiernan, M. D. (2018). Resisting decline? Narratives of independence among aging limbless veterans. Journal of Aging Studies, 46, pp. 24-31.

Caddick, N., & Smith, B. (2018). Exercise is medicine for mental health in military veterans: A qualitative commentary. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 10(4), pp. 429-440.

Cooper, L., Caddick, N., Godier, L., Cooper, A., & Fossey, M. (2018). Transition from the military into civilian life: An exploration of cultural competence. Armed Forces and Society, 44(1), pp. 156-177.

Caddick, N., Smith, B., & Phoenix, C. (2015). Male combat veterans’ narratives of PTSD, masculinity, and health. Sociology of Health and Illness, 37, pp. 97-111.

Caddick, N., Smith, B., & Phoenix, C. (2015). The effects of surfing and the natural environment on the well-being of combat veterans. Qualitative Health Research, 25, pp. 76-86.

Caddick, N., Phoenix, C., & Smith, B. (2015). Collective stories and well-being: Using a dialogical narrative approach to understand peer relationships among combat veterans experiencing PTSD. Journal of Health Psychology, 20, pp. 286-299.

Media experience
  • Thinking Allowed, BBC Radio 4, 29 April 2015
  • Daily Telegraph, 5 October 2015
  • Guardian, 30 October 2012