A War at the End of Empire: The Militarization of America and Matt Gallagher’s Empire City
This article examines how contemporary U.S. veteran literature helps understand the domestic effects of the 20-year long War on Terror, and its inseparability from violence at home. Literature written by veterans of the War on Terror provides a unique—and often overlooked—instrument for the mapping...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
European Association for American Studies
2023-07-01
|
| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/20156 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1841558296443486208 |
|---|---|
| author | Ari Räisänen |
| author_facet | Ari Räisänen |
| author_sort | Ari Räisänen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article examines how contemporary U.S. veteran literature helps understand the domestic effects of the 20-year long War on Terror, and its inseparability from violence at home. Literature written by veterans of the War on Terror provides a unique—and often overlooked—instrument for the mapping and navigation of this cultural terrain enveloped by “forever war.” I use Matt Gallagher’s novel Empire City (2020) as a case study to explore how contemporary veteran literature interrogates the relationship between state violence at home and abroad. The novel’s use of alternate history allows it to interrogate the domestic implications of the War on Terror and foreground the repressed imperiality of U.S. history. The counternarrative ruptures of Empire City demonstrate the unique vantage point veteran literature provides to understanding the ways in which the War on Terror has shaped, and continues to shape, the United States and its relationship with the world. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-07353fc0670e45faa5948905eed352c2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-07353fc0670e45faa5948905eed352c22025-01-06T09:08:06ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362023-07-0118210.4000/ejas.20156A War at the End of Empire: The Militarization of America and Matt Gallagher’s Empire CityAri RäisänenThis article examines how contemporary U.S. veteran literature helps understand the domestic effects of the 20-year long War on Terror, and its inseparability from violence at home. Literature written by veterans of the War on Terror provides a unique—and often overlooked—instrument for the mapping and navigation of this cultural terrain enveloped by “forever war.” I use Matt Gallagher’s novel Empire City (2020) as a case study to explore how contemporary veteran literature interrogates the relationship between state violence at home and abroad. The novel’s use of alternate history allows it to interrogate the domestic implications of the War on Terror and foreground the repressed imperiality of U.S. history. The counternarrative ruptures of Empire City demonstrate the unique vantage point veteran literature provides to understanding the ways in which the War on Terror has shaped, and continues to shape, the United States and its relationship with the world.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/20156United StatesMatt GallagherEmpire CityWar on Terrorveteran literature |
| spellingShingle | Ari Räisänen A War at the End of Empire: The Militarization of America and Matt Gallagher’s Empire City European Journal of American Studies United States Matt Gallagher Empire City War on Terror veteran literature |
| title | A War at the End of Empire: The Militarization of America and Matt Gallagher’s Empire City |
| title_full | A War at the End of Empire: The Militarization of America and Matt Gallagher’s Empire City |
| title_fullStr | A War at the End of Empire: The Militarization of America and Matt Gallagher’s Empire City |
| title_full_unstemmed | A War at the End of Empire: The Militarization of America and Matt Gallagher’s Empire City |
| title_short | A War at the End of Empire: The Militarization of America and Matt Gallagher’s Empire City |
| title_sort | war at the end of empire the militarization of america and matt gallagher s empire city |
| topic | United States Matt Gallagher Empire City War on Terror veteran literature |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/20156 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ariraisanen awarattheendofempirethemilitarizationofamericaandmattgallaghersempirecity AT ariraisanen warattheendofempirethemilitarizationofamericaandmattgallaghersempirecity |