Description
Beyond Combat explores the impact of the Vietnam War on gender roles and norms in American society. The book discusses how the war both reinforced and challenged traditional gender roles, and how encounters between Americans and Vietnamese were shaped by gendered images. The author also examines the ways in which ideas about masculinity influenced the experiences of American soldiers in Vietnam and how some veterans returned home to challenge traditional gender norms. The book has been praised for its insightful and comprehensive analysis of the intersection of gender and war.
Beyond Combat investigates how the Vietnam War both reinforced and challenged the gender roles that were key components of American Cold War ideology. Refocusing attention onto women and gender paints a more complex and accurate picture of the war's far-reaching impact beyond the battlefields. Encounters between Americans and Vietnamese were shaped by a cluster of intertwined images used to make sense of and justify American intervention and use of force in Vietnam. These images included the girl next door, a wholesome reminder of why the United States was committed to defeating Communism, and the treacherous and mysterious 'dragon lady', who served as a metaphor for Vietnamese women and South Vietnam. Heather Stur also examines the ways in which ideas about masculinity shaped the American GI experience in Vietnam and, ultimately, how some American men and women returned from Vietnam to challenge homefront gender norms. Review: 'Heather Stur provides us with a rangy and insightful exploration of how the Vietnam War reconstituted the political culture of gender in ways that were transformational and retrograde, life-affirming and violent, liberating and dehumanizing.' Christian G. Appy, author of Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered from All Sides 'In an insightful examination of everything from the miniskirt to army rifle manuals, Beyond Combat reveals the ways gender and sexuality framed Americans' perceptions and experiences of the Vietnam War. This important work challenges what we think not only of the Vietnam War, but also of war-making and foreign policy more broadly.' Kara Dixon Vuic, author of Officer, Nurse, Woman: The Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam War
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