Military Anthropology: Soldiers, Scholars and Subjects at the Margins of Empire [Hardcover]

A candid reassessment of the role of anthropologists in mediating encounters between Western armies and non-Western peoples.In almost every military intervention in its history, the US has made cultural mistakes that hindered attainment of its policy goals. From the strategic bombing of Vietnam to the accidental burning of the Koran in Afghanistan, it has blundered around with little consideration of local cultural beliefs and for the long-term effects on the host nation's society. Cultural anthropology--the so-called handmaiden of colonialism --has historically served as an intellectual bridge between Western powers and local nationals. What light can it shed on the intersection of the US military and foreign societies today?This book tells the story of anthropologists who worked directly for the military, such as Ursula Graham Bower, the only woman to hold a British combat command during WWII. Each faced challenges including the negative outcomes of exporting Western political models and errors of perception.Ranging from the British colonial era in Africa to the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Military Anthropology illustrates the conceptual, cultural and practical barriers encountered by military organisations operating in societies vastly different from their own.Introduction: Gerald Hickey and the Dangers InherentWhen Culture Matters MostStory of the BookBarriers and ImpedimentsThe Policy Implementation ProblemConclusion1 Robert Sutherland Rattray and Indirect RuleIndirect RuleThe Thorny Problems of Cultural DisjunctionConclusion2 Ursula Graham Bower and Military LeadershipLeadershipGender and LeadershipMilitary Leadership In ExtremisCross-Cultural LeadershipCross Cultural In Extremis Military LeadershipConclusion3 Gregory Bateson and Information OperationsLosing the War of IdeasBringing Culture Back into Information OperationsConclusion4 Tom Harrisson and Unconventional WarfareUnconventional WarfareLocal KnowledgeAcculturation and AssimilationAdapting tol#4