Reading: Lutz, Homefront: A Military City and the American 20th Century

1. What, according to Lutz, has been the impact (economic, political, cultural, social) of the military on American life over the course of the 20th century? How does she suggest that the lines between civilian and military have blurred? What evidence supports her claim?

2. Lutz refers to the military as a form of organized violence. What does she mean, and why do you think she uses this term? Is this an accurate description, in your opinion?

3. What role have class, racial, and gender differences played in the military? In Fayetteville? In relations between the two?

4. What kinds of historical sources does Lutz use? How do they shape her account?

5. What are Lutz's primary ethnographic methods?

6. Unlike many ethnographies we have read, Lutz does not provide extensive discussion of academic debates related to her topic within the main text. Why do you think she made that choice? How does it affect your reading and analysis of her ethnography?

 

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