Description
Book SynopsisTracing the college experiences of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, Ellen Moore challenges the popular narratives that explain student veterans' academic difficulties while showing how these narratives and institutional support for the military lead to suppression of campus debate about the wars, discourage anti-war activism, and encourage a growing militarization.
Trade Review"Through extensive work with hundreds of veterans and a detailed investigation into veterans in college, Ellen Moore has powerfully illuminated and analyzed the ways the military has strategically positioned itself in US society. She has done something unique and powerful in the scholarship of war and peace—a work that should be broadly disseminated and debated." -- Rick Ayers * Huffington Post *
“
Grateful Nation raises important insights as to what the veterans’ presence on campus might mean. And, much like the paratrooper’s rucksack, there is a lot in
Grateful Nation to unpack.” -- Robert G. Young * Military Review *
"An insightful new book.
Grateful Nation will contribute to both future research and practice among those who study and work on questions related to veterans and to higher education." -- Alair MacLean * Social Forces *
"Due to its wide-ranging theoretical grounding and implications,
Grateful Nation is a strong contribution for those interested in a variety of topics including education, militarism, and veteran experiences. This is an excellent book for those who work with student veterans and want to engage in depth with the complexity of this student population." -- Michelle Sandhoff * American Journal of Sociology *
Table of ContentsPreface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1. Basic Training: Making the Soldier, Militarizing the Civilian 25
2. What They Bring with Them: Effects of Military Training on Student Veterans 43
3. Campus Veteran Support Initiatives 77
4. Veteran Self-Help: Embracing, Re-creating, and Contesting Gendered Military Relations 97
5. Spectral Wars and the Myth of the Antimilitary Campus 127
6. "Thank You for Your Service": Gratitude and Its Discontents 165
Conclusion 189
Notes 201
Bibliography 237
Index 253
