Globalization and Militarism - 2nd Edition by Cynthia Enloe (Hardcover)

About the Book

Written by one of the world's leading feminist scholars, this masterful and provocative new, up-dated edition charts how women's desires to be patriotic yet feminine and men's fears of being feminized are being manipulated to globalize militarism-and thus what it will take to ...

Book Synopsis

Written by one of the world's leading feminist scholars, this masterful and provocative new, up-dated edition charts how women's desires to be patriotic yet feminine and men's fears of being feminized are being manipulated to globalize militarism--and thus what it will take to roll back militarization anywhere.

Review Quotes

Cynthia Enloe continues her quest to investigate the patriarchal dimensions of militarization and globalization. Using feminist curiosity she skillfully guides the reader in a series of insightful analyses that unravel the relations between globally militarized structures and the personal, even trivial, constructs of everyday lives. With brilliance and clarity, she shows how masculinities and femininities are tied to processes of militarization and demilitarization in diverse locations across the globe. This book is a must read for students and scholars seeking to understand how women's and men's lives shape global politics.

Cynthia Enloe turns her keen intelligence, clear prose, and feminist curiosity to the buzz words 'globalization' and 'militarization.'. Her insights into their relationship to each other are crucial for any student or citizen trying to make sense of today's world.

Cynthia Enloe was the first to open the eyes of many of us to the role gender plays in international politics. She now focuses on the ways in which globalization and militarization feed off each other, demonstrating yet again that taking women's lives seriously is one of the keys to reliable explanations of how the world works.

Cynthia Enloe's vibrant and inspiring prose takes us on a global journey of the everyday to uncover the gendered dynamics of militarization in all sorts of unexpected places--from the militarized politics of the sneaker to the wielding of masculinity in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo to the rise of camouflage as fashion to women peace activists mobilizing in Japan. Enloe uses her sharp feminist curiosity to remind us that we should always beware of the adjectives 'natural' or 'trivial, ' for these often obscure how militarization works. As always, Enloe's work is essential for anyone who wants to question the status quo in global politics and is a call to action for those who want to promote change for a more peaceful, just, and feminist world.

Each chapter shows how a master teacher can open the thinking of her students. The author demonstrates how militarism also happens at the local and personal levels, as well as at the global level, and how everyone contributes to and shares in its impact. Highly recommended.

In classic Enloe fashion, she reminds her readers of the varied and creative acts of resistance engaged in by women and men around the world, the 'simultaneous attention to the personal, the local, and the global' aimed at fostering a demilitarized world.

In sum, Enloe has done it again. Linking academia and activism through her commitment to progressive change, she writes for undergraduates, academics, and activists who appreciate both intellectual wonder and clarity of expression.

No man or woman who wants to make change or make sense of the world should be without Globalization and Militarism: Feminists Make the Link, a readable, revelatory, practical guide to demilitarizing and democratizing our minds and policies--before it's too late.

About the Author

Cynthia Enloe is research professorin the Department of International Development, Community, and Social Change and the Department of Women's Studies at Clark University. Her books include the updated edition of the groundbreaking Bananas, Beaches, and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics.