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Modern War Studies
Useful Captives: The Role of POWs in American Military Conflicts
Useful The Role of POWs in American Military Conflicts is a wide-ranging investigation of the integral role prisoners of war (POWs) have played in the economic, cultural, political, and military aspects of American warfare. In Useful Captives volume editors Daniel Krebs and Lorien Foote and their contributors explore the wide range of roles that captives play in times of hostages used to negotiate vital points of contention between combatants, consumers, laborers, propaganda tools, objects of indoctrination, proof of military success, symbols, political instruments, exemplars of manhood ideals, loyal and disloyal soldiers, and agents of change in society.
The book’s eleven chapters cover conflicts involving Americans, ranging from colonial warfare on the Creek-Georgia border in the late eighteenth century, the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great War, World War II, to twenty-first century U.S. drone warfare. This long historical horizon enables the reader to go beyond the prison camp experience of POWs to better understand the many ways they influence the nature and course of military conflict.
Useful Captives shows the vital role that prisoners of war play in American warfare and reveals the cultural contexts of warfare, the shaping and altering of military policies, the process of state-building, the impacts upon the economy and environment of the conflict zone, their special place in propaganda and political symbolism, and the importance of public history in shaping national memory.
The book’s eleven chapters cover conflicts involving Americans, ranging from colonial warfare on the Creek-Georgia border in the late eighteenth century, the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great War, World War II, to twenty-first century U.S. drone warfare. This long historical horizon enables the reader to go beyond the prison camp experience of POWs to better understand the many ways they influence the nature and course of military conflict.
Useful Captives shows the vital role that prisoners of war play in American warfare and reveals the cultural contexts of warfare, the shaping and altering of military policies, the process of state-building, the impacts upon the economy and environment of the conflict zone, their special place in propaganda and political symbolism, and the importance of public history in shaping national memory.
- GenresHistory
344 pages, Hardcover
Published February 15, 2021
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 13, 2023
This was a very fun compilation of essays about POWs and the USA. I usually hate essay compilations but I loved how this book was interconnected based on common themes. Each essay then references each other throughout the book, and makes the essays that much more powerful and effective. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and I definitely learned a lot about POWs and their role in US history
August 1, 2022
This book was interesting to me because of my own personal experience with Prisoners of War. The book covers this subject from a number of different angles. Those interested in military operations, military history, the civil war, or the role of detention in conflict will find this book interesting and useful.
November 11, 2021
This is an excellent book for the specialist, and everyone would find it very informative. It is a collection of 11 essays addressing various aspects of the POW experience. I have reviewed this book for a professional journal and my review is embargoed until publication, but I can definitely recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews