Globalization and Militarism: Feminists Make the Link (Globalization)

By Cynthia Enloe

Book Overview

Militarism is being globalized today, not only because weapons are being traded worldwide, but because certain ideas about "femininity" and "masculinity" are being promoted and absorbed globally. Who is presumed to be the "protector"? Who is taught to be grateful to be the "protected"? Written by one of the world's leading feminist scholars, this masterful and provocative book considers how women's desires to be patriotic yet feminine and men's fears of being feminized have been exploited to globalize militarism--and thus what it will take to roll back militarization anywhere. Through explorations of how governments think so narrowly about "national security," of how postwar reconstruction efforts have marginalized women, of how ideas about feminization were used to humiliate male prisoners in Abu Ghraib, and of why "camo" has become a fashion statement, Cynthia Enloe unravels militarism's both blatant and subtle workings. Focusing her lens on the "big picture" of international politics and on the small picture of women's and men's complex everyday lives, Enloe challenges us to recognize militarism in all its forms.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0742541126
• ISBN13: 9780742541122
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Length: 187 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.2" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Excellent

Cynthia Enloe is one of the best feminist international relations scholars in North America. Once again she has written a much needed timely volume. Enloe's writing is engaging and never filled with too much academese, so that the lay audience and academics alike can enjoy her books. This book deals with the connections between globalization and militarism. Each chapter sheds light on this insipid connection. The chapter I enjoyed most dealt with the consumer fascination of camo. Do you wear camo? How have we normalized camouflage and militarism by wearing camo pants to work/school? Is this "normal"? Enloe asks the reader to be curious and ask questions. I have found that the lower division women's studies students really dig her work and this book has been no exception. I've also used excerpts of this book in one of my Political Science courses, and again, the students enjoyed the reading.