Women, Warfare and Representation: American Servicewomen in the Twentieth Century

Description

Women, Warfare and Representation considers the various ways the American servicewoman has been represented throughout the 20th century and how those representations impact the roles she is permitted to inhabit. While women have a relatively short history in the American military, the last century shows an evolution of women's direct participation in war despite the need to overcome societal sex-role expectations. The primary focus is on the American case, but Emerald Archer also introduces a comparative element, showing how women's integration in the military differs in other countries, including Great Britain, Canada and Israel. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, the book draws on military history, theory and social psychology to offer a more complete and integrated history of women in the military and their representation in society.

Emerald M. Archer is the Director of the Center for the Advancement of Women at Mount Saint Mary's University in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Demonstrates the value of qualitative research to corroborate and illuminate quantitative research. [Archer's] narrative is enhanced by full discursive notes, and the work is theoretically rich, undergirded by the scholarship of Joan Scott, Cynthia Enloe and others ... Archer's engaging work is theoretically sound and historically grounded, offering thoughtful conclusions about the necessity of comprehensive gender initiatives if the U.S. military is to become more competent and effective in the twenty-first century. * Journal of Contemporary History * Offers a sweeping analysis of how servicewomen have been represented both historically and today. Using an interdisciplinary approach, she draws on a wide array of sources, methods, and theories to explain the progress that servicewomen have made in gaining inclusion, the obstacles they have faced, and current day challenges, such as expanding rights for LGBT communities. * CHOICE * Through rich interviews and rigorous experimentation, Emerald Archer explores some of the unique challenges facing women who serve in the armed forces with clear eyed compassion. Expanding her analysis to countries beyond the United States, Archer examines the ways in which women's participation in war transforms sex role stereotypes in larger society. This important contribution to the literature on women and war helps expand the conversation around the nature of inclusion in representative democracy. * Rose McDermott, David and Marianna Fisher University Professor of International Relations, Brown University, USA * Does adding women to state armed forces changed the armed forces, or women, or both? Emerald Archer's fascinating manuscript explores a century of women's involvement in the US military, with global comparisons. It looks at the limited roles women were initially offered, how gender expectations shaped women's development in the military, and women's progress while facing gender-stereotypical expectations. I highly recommend for anyone looking to understand how armed forces work! * Laura Sjoberg, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Florida, USA * Emerald Archer reveals the misrepresentation of women's roles in warfare - that women cannot fight in combat - through powerful gender narratives. Women, Warfare and Representation delivers a fresh interdisciplinary integration of gender perspectives that paints a nuanced portrayal of women's participation in warfare. Identifying women and gender integration as a Revolution in Military Affairs in pure genius and is critical to successful 21st century militaries. This is a must-read for women in every profession, for military students and gender studies scholars, and for any leader serious about peace and security. * David Smith, Associate Professor of Sociology and Permanent Military Professor of Leadership, U.S. Naval Academy, USA *