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OverviewThe Stuff of Soldiers uses everyday objects to tell the story of the Great Patriotic War as never before. Brandon Schechter attends to a diverse array of things-from spoons to tanks-to show how a wide array of citizens became soldiers, and how the provisioning of material goods separated soldiers from civilians. Through a fascinating examination of leaflets, proclamations, newspapers, manuals, letters to and from the front, diaries, and interviews, The Stuff of Soldiers reveals how the use of everyday items made it possible to wage war. The dazzling range of documents showcases ethnic diversity, women's particular problems at the front, and vivid descriptions of violence and looting. Each chapter features a series of related objects: weapons, uniforms, rations, and even the knick-knacks in a soldier's rucksack. These objects narrate the experience of people at war, illuminating the changes taking place in Soviet society over the course of the most destructive conflict in recorded history. Schechter argues that spoons, shovels, belts, and watches held as much meaning to the waging of war as guns and tanks. In The Stuff of Soldiers, he describes the transformative potential of material things to create a modern culture, citizen, and soldier during World War II. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Brandon M. SchechterPublisher: Cornell University Press Imprint: Cornell University Press Dimensions: Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 22.90cm Weight: 0.907kg ISBN: 9781501739798ISBN 10: 1501739794 Pages: 344 Publication Date: 15 October 2019 Recommended Age: From 18 years Audience: General/trade , General Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print  This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of Contents"Prelude: Outgunned and Outmanned Acknowledgments List of Archival Sources and Their Abbreviations Terms and Abbreviations Explanatory Notes Introduction: Government Issue 1. The Soldier's Body: A Little Cog in a Giant War Machine 2. A Personal Banner: Life in Red Army Uniform 3. The State's Pot and the Soldier's Spoon: Rations in the Red Army 4. Cities of Earth, Cities of Rubble: The Spade and Red Army Landscaping 5. ""A Weapon Is Your Honor and Conscience"": Killing in the Red Army 6. The Thing-Bag: A Public-Private Place 7. Trophies of War: Red Army Soldiers Confront an Alien World of Goods Conclusion: Subjects and Objects Notes Index"ReviewsBased on prodigious research in the Soviet archives, The Stuff of Soldiers interrogates dozens of objects within soldiers' grasp - from headgear to underwear, and spoons to tobacco - for their uses and meanings. The result is a fascinating retelling of how the Red Army fared in the Great Patriotic War. -- Lewis Siegelbaum, co-editor of <I>Empire and Belonging in the Eurasian Borderlands</I> One of the best books about Soviet military life to appear in a long time. Among its many remarkable features is the way the author introduces non-Russian and women's voices to his story. The Stuff of Soldiers is beautifully written, with often cinematic scope, and hard to put down. -- Mark von Hagen, author of <I>Soldiers in the Proletarian Dictatorship</I> The Stuff of Soldiers is the most important recent contribution, in any language, to the history of the Red Army in World War II. I read it in one sitting and was consistently engaged. Highly recommended! -- Mark Edele, author of <I>Stalin's Defectors</I> Author InformationBrandon M. Schechter has taught at Columbia, New York University, NYU Shanghai, Brown, and the University of California at Berkeley, where he received his PhD. He is a contributor to Objects of War, edited by Leora Auslander and Tara Zahra. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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