War in American Culture: Society and Consciousness during World War II
Lewis A. Erenberg, Susan E. (Ed.) Hirsch, Susan E. Hirsch (Editor), Susan E. HirschBooks.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
The War in American Culture explores the role of World War II in the transformation of American social, cultural, and political life. World War II posed a crisis for American culture: to defeat the enemy, Americans had to unite across the class, racial and ethnic boundaries that had long divided them. Exploring government censorship of war photography, the revision of immigration laws, Hollywood moviemaking, swing music, and popular magazines, these essays reveal the creation of a new national identity that was pluralistic, but also controlled and sanitized. Concentrating on the home front and the impact of the war on the lives of ordinary Americans, the contributors give us a rich portrayal of family life, sexuality, cultural images, and working-class life in addition to detailed consideration of African Americans, Latinos, and women who lived through the unsettling and rapidly altered circumstances of wartime America. Lewis A. Erenberg is professor of history at Loyola University of Chicago and Susan E. Hirsch is associate professor of history at Loyola.Synopsis
The War in American Culture explores the role of World War II in the transformation of American social, cultural, and political life.
World War II posed a crisis for American culture: to defeat the enemy, Americans had to unite across the class, racial and ethnic boundaries that had long divided them. Exploring government censorship of war photography, the revision of immigration laws, Hollywood moviemaking, swing music, and popular magazines, these essays reveal the creation of a new national identity that was pluralistic, but also controlled and sanitized. Concentrating on the home front and the impact of the war on the lives of ordinary Americans, the contributors give us a rich portrayal of family life, sexuality, cultural images, and working-class life in addition to detailed consideration of African Americans, Latinos, and women who lived through the unsettling and rapidly altered circumstances of wartime America.
Booknews
Challenging the claim of World War II to be the last good war, historians explore its paradoxical and enduring effects on American identity, racial and ethnic subgroups, and women's roles. All but one of the 13 essays were presented at a public symposium in March 1992 at Loyala University. They cover the quest for a national unity, interpreting The American Way, the challenge of race and resistance to change, mobilization for change, and the new political paradigm. Paper edition (unseen), $17.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)