War and Sex; A Brief History of Men's Urge for Battle

Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2010. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Grace M. Conti-Zilsberger (Jacket Design). 466, [6] pages. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Publisher's ephemera laid in. Educated at Princeton, Trinity College, Dublin, and Columbia, Dippel combines solid, thorough research with a fluid, accessible style to bring to light the psychological, social, and economic factors which induce individuals to risk their lives for some greater, all-consuming goal. Of his reasons for choosing his topics, Dippel says, "I am intrigued by how people behave at critical historical moments, when their lives are really on the line. Too often, we make the mistake of superimposing our own values and outlooks on their decisions, rather than trying to understand them from their point of view. My books try to do just that." Dippel experienced the upheavals of the Sixties, when many assumptions about American society were called into question, and men of draft-age had to decide whether or not to take part in a war they felt violated their principles. In this engrossing exploration of men's motives for war, the author argues persuasively that one important subconscious reason young men volunteer for battle is to enhance their status as marriage partners for the women on the home front. Especially for men from low socioeconomic backgrounds becoming a soldier offers a sexual and reproductive edge over their civilian male peers. The author also examines the subtle influence that women's expanding power in society has on male attitudes regarding conflict. Drawing upon extensive literary as well as historical sources, he demonstrates how tensions over gender roles affect men's willingness to go to war, and how the experience of war, in turn, changes the relations between the sexes. Reviewing the social circumstances leading up to conflicts from the American Civil War through the Viet Nam War and the current clash between the West and Islamic fundamentalists, he shows that gender-based pressures play a significant, if often unconscious, role in tipping a society toward the decision of war. Thoroughly researched, yet engagingly and accessibly written, this unique discussion of men and women's roles in a society contemplating war offers much food for thought.