Description
Book SynopsisDivisions draws together the history of race and the military; of high command and ordinary GIs; and of African Americans, white Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, arguing that racist divisions were a defining feature of America's World War II military.
Trade ReviewAmbitiously conceived, exhaustively researched, and lucidly written, Divisions sheds fresh and often harsh light on the ways that America waged World War II. Thomas Guglielmo's richly granular account of the segregated armed forces that fought the sometimes not-so-'Good War' is a landmark contribution to the history of the war, as well as the vexedly complex history of race relations in modern America. * David M. Kennedy, author of Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945 *
Written in a captivating manner, Divisions tells the story about the multiple, complex, sometimes contradictory color lines the military deployed during World War II. Backed by a wealth of data and sprinkled with delicious, unforgettable details, Divisions deserves scholarly and popular attention. * Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, author of Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States *
Thoughtful and nuanced, Divisions supplies a counter perspective to the wistful, largely fictional pop culture invocation of the World War II-era military as a fraternity of the forces for good or a crucible of civic nationalism. Despite the wealth of work on World War II there are not enough books that move beyond vindicationist histories of Black soldiers at war. There are even fewer that place the experiences of Black Americans alongside or in dialogue with those of Japanese Americans and other non-white (or less) white Americans. And there are fewer still that talk about racism and the resistance to it without reifying racial categories. Divisions is compelling, clear, and moving. * Adriane Lentz-Smith, Duke University *
Guglielmo's great skill as a historian is his ability to lay out the complexity and nuance involved in the military's recreation of myriad color lines and acts of resistance against them. Important, timely, and masterful, Divisions gives much food for thought not only about the historical antecedents for today's intensifying racial tensions but also about the immense challenges African Americans and other people of color will continue to face in any broad-based campaign for racial justice and equitable citizenship. * David Gutierrez, University of California, San Diego *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction Part I: Enlistment Chapter 1: The Jim Crow Boomerang Chapter 2: Enlisting and Excluding an "Enemy Race" Part II: Assignment Chapter 3: The Backbone of Segregation Chapter 4: Separate Segregations Part III: Classification Chapter 5: The Boundaries of Blackness Part IV: Training Chapter 6: Jim Crow in Uniform Chapter 7: Bonds and Barriers Part V: Fighting Chapter 8: Deploying Jim Crow Chapter 9: Brothers in Arms? Conclusion Notes Index
