Indian Wars Everywhere - (American Crossroads) by Stefan Aune (Paperback)

About the Book

"References to the Indian Wars, those conflicts that accompanied US continental expansion, suffuse American military history. From Black Hawk helicopters to the paratroopers that shout "Geronimo" as they jump from airplanes, the figure of the Indian has been indelibly linked with warfare. In Indian Wars Everywhere, Stefan Aune shows how these resonances signal a deeper history, one in which the Indian Wars function as a shadow doctrine that influences US military violence. The United States' formative acts of colonial violence persist in the actions, imaginations, and stories that have facilitated the spread of American empire, from the "savage wars" of the nineteenth century to the counterinsurgencies of the Global War on Terror. Ranging across multiple centuries and continents, Indian Wars Everywhere reflects on what it means for the conquest of Native peoples to be thought of as a success that can be used as a blueprint for modern warfare"--

Book Synopsis

References to the Indian Wars, those conflicts that accompanied US continental expansion, suffuse American military history. From Black Hawk helicopters to the exclamation "Geronimo" used by paratroopers jumping from airplanes, words and images referring to Indians have been indelibly linked with warfare. In Indian Wars Everywhere, Stefan Aune shows how these resonances signal a deeper history, one in which the Indian Wars function as a shadow doctrine that influences US military violence. The United States' formative acts of colonial violence persist in the actions, imaginations, and stories that have facilitated the spread of American empire, from the "savage wars" of the nineteenth century to the counterinsurgencies of the Global War on Terror. Ranging across centuries and continents, Indian Wars Everywhere considers what it means for the conquest of Native peoples to be deemed a success that can be used as a blueprint for modern warfare.

From the Back Cover

"Why does the American military name helicopters and missiles after American Indians, designate every war zone 'Indian Country, ' and repeatedly take Geronimo's name in vain? In this stunning book, Stefan Aune explores the relations of violence and desire that have shaped counterinsurgency strategy. Making colonial histories speak directly to the contemporary War on Terror, Indian Wars Everywhere is a powerful work of cultural history, brilliantly written and utterly convincing."--Phil Deloria, author of Indians in Unexpected Places

"Aune's analysis is highly sophisticated and well supported through extensive research. The topic is vitally important as Americans are increasingly aware of the need to reckon with the deep roots of injustice and violence, particularly against communities of color, including Indigenous peoples and nations, as well as America's seemingly unending wars around the world."--Jeffrey Ostler, author of Surviving Genocide: Native Nations and the United States from the American Revolution to Bleeding Kansas

"This is a stunning work of interdisciplinary cultural history. Rendered in wonderfully lucid and compelling prose, and through a sophisticated analysis of 'Indian/fighting' as a shadow doctrine, Indian Wars Everywhere makes a significant and much-needed contribution to our understandings of the tangled and heretofore under-theorized intersections among the violence of US settler colonialism, imperialism, and militarism, on the one hand, and among culture, discourse, and military perceptions and practices, on the other."--Jodi Kim, author of Settler Garrison: Debt Imperialism, Militarism, and Transpacific Imaginaries

​"The United States' brutal invasions of Indigenous homelands--a.k.a. the Indian Wars--remain an unacknowledged yet foundational aspect of American history. In his important and necessary book, Aune traces the long shadows that these conflicts continue to cast over American life as well as over US military adventures in the Philippines, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and elsewhere."--Karl Jacoby, author of Shadows at Dawn: A Borderlands Massacre and the Violence of History

"This book is an excellent study of the making of counterinsurgency warfare in the nation's early and continued efforts to fight 'Indians.' Part military history, part cultural history, more than any other book, Indian Wars Everywhere links 'Indian' and 'fighting' as an American way of life."--Alex Lubin, author of Never-Ending War on Terror

"Indian Wars Everywhere combines incisive cultural analysis with close critical attention to military doctrine and tactics to offer a compelling account of how the legacies of the Indian Wars continue to resonate in US military culture. Stefan Aune has given us a brilliant account of the stories Americans have told themselves about war and how those stories have shaped the violent prosecution of military campaigns from the Philippines to Vietnam to Afghanistan."--David Fitzgerald, author of Learning to Forget: US Army Counterinsurgency Doctrine and Practice from Vietnam to Iraq

Review Quotes

"In attempting to explain the prevalence of the Indian/fighting references in American history and demonstrating that they are more than simple metaphors, Aune succeeds admirably. His prose is engaging, and his scholarship is impressive, resting on a command of the latest (and timeless) secondary works, as well as innovative use of a range of primary and literary sources."-- "American Historical Review"

About the Author

Stefan Aune is Visiting Assistant Professor of American Studies at Williams College.