At War: The Military and American Culture in the Twentieth Century and Beyond

Published by Rutgers University Press 2018

At War

The Military and American Culture in the Twentieth Century and Beyond

Edited by: David Kieran and Edwin A. Martini
With contributions by: David Kieran , Edwin A. Martini , Sahr Conway-Lanz , Stefan Aune , Nick Witham , Mark R. Wilson , Jennifer Mittelstadt , Christopher Hamner , Wilbur J. Scott , Jana K. Lipman , Christine Knauer , Kara Dixon Vuic , John M. Kinder , Richard P. Tucker , Susan L. Carruthers , Bonnie M. Miller , Scott Laderman , G. Kurt Piehler , Katherine Ellison and William Watson

In the series War Culture

https://doi.org/10.36019/9780813584331

Overview
Contents

About this book

The country’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, its interventions around the world, and its global military presence make war, the military, and militarism defining features of contemporary American life. The armed services and the wars they fight shape all aspects of life—from the formation of racial and gendered identities to debates over environmental and immigration policy. Warfare and the military are ubiquitous in popular culture.

At War offers short, accessible essays addressing the central issues in the new military history—ranging from diplomacy and the history of imperialism to the environmental issues that war raises and the ways that war shapes and is shaped by discourses of identity, to questions of who serves in the U.S. military and why and how U.S. wars have been represented in the media and in popular culture.

Author / Editor information

DAVID KIERAN is an assistant professor of history at Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. He is the editor of The War of My Generation: Youth Culture and the War on Terror (Rutgers University Press).

EDWIN A. MARTINI is a professor in the department of history at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. He is the author of Agent Orange: History, Science, and the Politics of Uncertainty.

Reviews

"At War is a valuable addition to the field and an asset to students and teachers alike."

— Journal of American Studies

"By highlighting culture, this fascinating collection informs the problem of how persistent war could broadly impact the United States but most contemporary American civilians are oblivious to it. Well written, deeply researched, and perfect for course use."

— Mary L. Dudziak, author of War Time: An Idea, Its History, Its Consequences

“The founders anticipated that American democracy would escape the militarism of most other societies, but this compelling book shows otherwise. Ranging from law and combat to race and film, and many more topics, the authors describe how the U.S. military influences all parts of our daily lives. This book does not condemn military influences in American society; it demands that we understand them better when we make policy and renew our troubled democracy. This is a book all concerned citizens should read.”

— Jeremi Suri, author of The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office

"This volume will enrich understandings of the centrality of war to contemporary American life. Intelligibly written and augmented by discussion questions, recommendations for further reading, and arresting images, the essays range widely and are a must-read in and out of the classroom."

— Richard H. Immerman, Director Emeritus, Temple University Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy

"Kieran and Martini have done a truly magnificent job. The table of contents of At War is enough to make one want to immediately buy and use the book. I cannot praise highly enough the concept and the fulfilled ambition of the editors."

— Marilyn B. Young, author of The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990

"[A] strength of this book is that the editors selected a wide variety of military-society interactions. The sixteen essays examine the intersections of war and justice, empire, domestic politics, the military-industrial complex, demographics, combat, veterans, refugees, race, gender, the human body, the environment, the media, visual culture, film, and memory."

— H-Net

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction: War, the Military, and American Culture David Kieran and Edwin A. Martini Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. War and Justice Sahr Conway-Lanz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	11
2. American Empire Stefan Aune Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	31
3. Domestic Politics and Antiwar Activism Nick Witham Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	47
4. The Military-Industrial Complex Mark R. Wilson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	67
5. Military Demographics Jennifer Mittelstadt Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	87
6. Combat Christopher Hamner Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	108
7. Veterans and Veterans’ Issues Wilbur J. Scott Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	127
8. War, Persecution, and Displacement: U.S. Refugee Policy since 1945 Jana K. Lipman Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147
9. Race and/in War Christine Knauer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	168
10. Gender, the Military, and War Kara Dixon Vuic Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	195
11. The Embodiment of War: Bodies for, in, and after War John M. Kinder Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	217
12. War and the Environment Richard P. Tucker Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	240
13. Communications Media, the U.S. Military, and the War Brought Home Susan L. Carruthers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	258
14. War in Visual Culture Bonnie M. Miller Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	279
15. War and Film Scott Laderman Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	308
16. War and Memory G. Kurt Piehler Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	331
17. Timeline: Major Events in U.S. Military History, 1890–2017 Katherine Ellison and William Watson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	356
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	380
Notes on Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	382
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	385

Language: English
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 410
Illustrations
- Other: 19 color images,12 black and w
Keywords: iraq; iraq war; afghanistan; afghanistan war; global military; militarism; armed services; imperialism; military culture; war culture; war environment

eBook

Published: April 5, 2018
ISBN: 9780813584331