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The Martial Imagination: Cultural Aspects of American Warfare (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History): 144
Author(s): Jimmy L. Bryan Jr
- Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
- Publication Date: 30 Nov. 2013
- Edition: Illustrated
- Language: English
- Print length: 288 pages
- ISBN-10: 1623490200
- ISBN-13: 9781623490201
Book Description
However, only in the last several years have scholars begun using the term “cultural history of American warfare” to identify the study of how public discourse formulates these defining myths and narratives. This volume brings together scholarship from diverse fields in a common mission to demonstrate the usefulness and significance of studying the cultural history of American warfare.
The Martial Imagination: Cultural Aspects of American Warfare canvasses the American war experience from the Revolution to the War on Terror, examining how it infuses legitimacy and conformity with an urgency that contorts ideas of citizenship, nationhood, gender, and other pliable categories. The multidisciplinary scholarship in this volume represents the varied perspectives of cultural history, American studies, literary criticism, war and society, media studies, and public culture analysis, illustrating the rich dialogues that epitomize the cultural history of American warfare.Bringing together both recognised and emerging scholars, this book is the first anthology to feature essays on this topic, comprising research from twelve authors who represent a wide range of experiences and disciplines. Their work uncovers new and surprising understandings of the American war experience that reveal the ways in which culture makers have grappled with the trauma of war, salvaged meaning from the meaningless, or advanced some ulterior agenda.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“…these twelve historians weave together a narrative of the American imagination of war that is new, fresh, and relevant to the grand narrative of military history.”
“…initiates a cultural introduction to military history and as such the subjects of and benefits of such analysis should not bound by chronological or geographical borders.”
“…an excellent book for cultural and military historians alike, as well as anyone interested in the lore of Texas history and identity.”
— Cecilia Gowdy-Wyagant, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Front Ranger Community College in East Texas Historical Journal–Cecilia Gowdy-Wygant “East Texas Historical Journal”
“The Martial Imagination is an outstanding compendium on the cultural history of American warfare. Using a range of approaches, and covering more than two centuries of military conflict, the contributors explore the rich tradition of finding meaning in war. Americans have long used wars to advance agendas, articulate attitudes about gender and race, and cultivate particular understandings of national identity and history. This collection offers fresh and exciting ways of illuminating such impulses across the American past.”–Andrew J. Huebner, associate professor, Department of History, University of Alabama, and author, The Warrior Image: Soldiers in American Culture from the Second World War to the Vietnam Era
–Andrew J. Huebner (6/10/2013 12:00:00 AM)
“The Martial Imagination: Cultural Aspects of American Warfare is an essay collection that embraces this multifaceted approach, serving as both an exemplar of new military history and pointing towards areas for further research. . . The essays could function wonderfully as supplemental reading for college classes at either the graduate or undergraduate level. The book transcends its intended audience and is incredibly useful for not only military historians, but cultural, material, intellectual, and social historians as well.”–H-Net Reviews–Mike Hankins “H-Net Reviews” (6/13/2014 12:00:00 AM)
“Bryan has produced a fascinating book that could be used in academic courses concerning not only military history, but also American culture in general. One hopes that this type of book will establish a new trend in this field of study.”–The Chronicles of Oklahoma— “The Chronicles of Oklahoma” (3/31/2015 12:00:00 AM)
“In the last few decades, war-and-society scholars have carved out a distinct sub-field within military history. Amy S. Greenberg joins with Bryan to demark the boundaries of these subfields. The essays in the collection put this methodology into practice. These works are well researched and written. These are ambitious and often stimulating essays that offer intriguing snapshots of particular historical movements, innovative use of sources, and original thinking. The editor and authors raise key questions about subfield boundaries and methods that deserve further scrutiny, while offering a tantalizing look at the way a cultural approach can expand our understanding of how Americans experience war.”–U.S. Naval Institute– “Proceedings” (11/7/2014 12:00:00 AM)
“This anthology fills an important gap in the scholarly literature about wars and American culture. This is an emerging subdiscipline of the fields of military as well as cultural history, and the essays represent some cutting edge work in the subject.”–Robert Wooster, Regents Professor of History, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi
–Robert Wooster (12/18/2012 12:00:00 AM)
