Description
Fallgirls provides an analysis of the abuses that took place at Abu Ghraib in terms of social theory, gender and power, based on first-hand participant-observations of the courts-martials of Lynndie England and Sabrina Harman. This book examines the trials themselves, including interactions with soldiers and defense teams, documents pertaining to the courts-martials, US government reports and photographs from Abu Ghraib, in order to challenge the view that the abuses were carried out at the hands of a few rogue soldiers. With a keen focus on gender and sexuality as prominent aspects of the abuses themselves, as well as the ways in which they were portrayed and tried, Fallgirls engages with modern feminist thought and contemporary social theory in order to analyse the manner in which the abuses were framed, whilst also exploring the various lived realities of Abu Ghraib by both prisoners and soldiers alike. Providing a unique perspective and a thorough theoretical examination of the events, their framing and depiction, this book will be of interest to sociologists, feminists, and social and political theorists concerned with cultural studies, political communication and gender and sexuality.
Table of Contents
Contents: Preface; Prologue: so what really happened at Abu Ghraib?; Defense Counsel's opening statements; It was not Lucifer achieved: Zimbardo, women and Abu Ghraib; Testimony ofCaptain Donald J. Reese, US Army, Sabrina Harman courts-martial; Abu Ghraib and the 'rationalization' of rationality: uses of the masculine and feminine symbolic narratives; Testimony of Major David DiNenna, US Army, Sabrina Harman courts-martial; The abuse was reported: Parsonian gender roles and Abu Ghraib transfigurations; Evidence: Sabrina Harman's letter to Kelly Bryant; The significance of identity simulacra and gender hyperreality: American military and the case of Abu Ghraib; Testimony of Stjepan G. Mestrovic, expert witness in sociology, Sabrina Harman courts-martial; The fallgirls of Abu Ghraib: feminist analyses and the importance of context; Conversations with Sabrina Harman, summer 2007; Closing statements of the Defense Counsel, Sabrina Harman courts-martial, Captain Patsy Takemura, May 17, 2005, Fort Hood, Texas; Sworn statements; Index.
