Bodies at War
Genealogies of Militarism in Chicana Literature and Culture
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In the wake of U.S. military intervention abroad and collapsing domestic economies, scholars have turned their attention to neoliberalism and militarization, two ideological and material projects that are often treated as coincident, though not interdependent. Bodies at War examines neoliberal militarism, a term that signifies the complex ways in which neoliberalism and militarism interanimate each other as they naturalize dis/empowering notions of masculinity and femininity, alter democratic practices, and circumscribe the meaning of citizenship and national belonging.
Bodies at War examines the rise of neoliberal militarism from the early 1970s to the present and its transformation of political, economic, and social relations. It charts neoliberal militarism’s impact on democratic practices, economic policies, notions of citizenship, race relations, and gender norms by focusing on how these changes affect the Chicana/o community and, more specifically, on how it shapes and is shaped by Chicana bodies. The book raises important questions about the cultural legacies of war and the gendering of violence—topics that reach across multiple disciplinary fields of inquiry, including cultural and media studies. It draws attention to the relationship between war and society, to neoliberal militarism’s destructive social impact, and to the future of Latina soldiering. Through Chicana art, activism, and writing, Rincón offers a visionary foundation for an antiwar feminist politic.
Bodies at War examines the rise of neoliberal militarism from the early 1970s to the present and its transformation of political, economic, and social relations. It charts neoliberal militarism’s impact on democratic practices, economic policies, notions of citizenship, race relations, and gender norms by focusing on how these changes affect the Chicana/o community and, more specifically, on how it shapes and is shaped by Chicana bodies. The book raises important questions about the cultural legacies of war and the gendering of violence—topics that reach across multiple disciplinary fields of inquiry, including cultural and media studies. It draws attention to the relationship between war and society, to neoliberal militarism’s destructive social impact, and to the future of Latina soldiering. Through Chicana art, activism, and writing, Rincón offers a visionary foundation for an antiwar feminist politic.
“From a meticulously theorized and historically informed critical trajectory, Rincón elegantly shows how Chicana literature and cultural expression address crucial issues pertaining to war and militarism, and their inextricable ties to race and gender in light of neoliberal politics. Without a doubt, Bodies at War raises the bar for future assessments of Chicana/o literary history.”—Richard T. Rodríguez, author of Next of Kin
“Rincón’s focus on Chicana cultural production complements and challenges previous studies of Chicana/o war literature. Rigorous and sophisticated, her readings powerfully return us to the lived reality of individuals, families, and friends traumatized by warfare.”—John Alba Cutler, author of Ends of Assimilation
“Rincón’s focus on Chicana cultural production complements and challenges previous studies of Chicana/o war literature. Rigorous and sophisticated, her readings powerfully return us to the lived reality of individuals, families, and friends traumatized by warfare.”—John Alba Cutler, author of Ends of Assimilation