Y&M Magazine - Resource of the Month

Maneuvers:
The International Politics of Militarizing Women's Lives
by Cynthia Enloe

When the topic of women and the military is considered, attention often centers on women serving in the active duty branches of the military. In Maneuvers, Cynthia Enloe employs everyday objects such as a can of tomato noodle soup, a tube of mascara, and a whistle to illustrate the far-reaching impact of the military on women in the service and in civilian life.

maneuvers cover The book gives examples of how military policies and procedures affect the lives of women military personnel, prostitutes, pacifists, rape victims, nurses, mothers, entertainers, wives, laundresses and girlfriends all over the world. The "maneuvers" in the book's title refers to the efforts of military officials and their civilian supporters to establish and maintain divisions among these groups in order to control women and the definition of femininity.

Through its investigation of the military's far-reaching effects on the everyday lives of women, Maneuvers significantly expands the discussion of women and the military while presenting a variety of thought-provoking questions: What distinguishes a woman's experience of militarization from that of a man? How does the military manipulate concepts such as "the fallen woman," "patriotic womanhood," "marital fidelity," "racial purity," and "national sacrifice" to its own objectives? What happens when women try to dismantle the military policies and procedures used to maintain rigid distinctions among certain groups of women? Why do feminists in some countries find themselves at risk when they raise the issue of wartime sexual abuse? What lessons can American feminists learn from women in other countries who have had to cope with men from both national and foreign military institutions?

Maneuvers is an excellent follow-up to Enloe's earlier work, Does Khaki Become You?: The Militarization of Women's Lives (South End Press, 1983). Many of the issues introduced in the earlier volume are expanded upon and revisited from an international perspective and in light of developments that occurred during the 1990s. Maneuvers offers a wealth of well-researched and insightful material for those with an interest in an international and historical perspective on gendered militarization.

Maneuvers: The International Politics of Militarizing Women's Lives by Cynthia Enloe. University of California Press, Berkeley, 2000.

Cover photo courtesy of University of California Press.

Learn more...
About women, the military, and war