Soldier snapshots : masculinity, play, and friendship in the everyday photographs of men in the American military / Jay Mechling.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mechling, Jay, 1945- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Male friendship.

Photographic criticism.

Soldiers--Recreation.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ix, 224 pages) : illustrations ;

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Lawrence, Kansas : University Press of Kansas, [2021]

Summary:

"In Soldier Snapshots, Jay Mechling reveals how vernacular photos by men in the military reveal layers of meaning that require us to incorporate perspectives drawn from the fields of psychoanalysis, masculinity and gender studies, cultural anthropology, and American Studies to interpret them. As with his other books-on topics such as the Boy Scouts, wildlife, and children's folklore-Mechling seeks an understanding of American culture by subjecting particular bits of evidence to scrutiny to see how the part can reveal the whole. The 84 photographs in this book are part of a collection of vintage snapshots collected by Mechling from online auctions and vintage photography shows. He presents and discusses them using themes such as play, male friendship, and the male body"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

The military snapshot

Men in military groups

Manhood as a project

The concept of play

Male friendship

Animal buddies

The male body in the military

The male body as symbol

Clean and dirty

Human pyramids

Cross-dressing

Playfighting

Hazing

Deep play.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-220) and index.

ISBN:

0-7006-3243-3

OCLC:

1290479256