Exceptional Situations

Exceptional Situations examines the deployment of a predominantly African American army unit to Liberia during the Second World War. The racial make-up of US Army Forces in Liberia (USAFIL) collided with the unique socio-racial landscape of the historic Black republic of Liberia—one of only three independent, Black-governed countries at the time. The deployment ultimately unsettled contemporary norms and hierarchies in both countries. As a result, this clash created what USAFIL's minority white leadership labelled "an exceptional situation." Using the notion of "exceptionalism" as a heuristic, Kathleen E. Alfin analyzes how competing imperial logics of race, gender, and sexuality shaped interactions between Black and white American soldiers (commonly referred to as "GIs") and Liberian men and women during the world war. Her analyses explore how the "exceptional situation" affected GIs' cultural constructions of Liberia and Liberians. These narratives also reveal the segregation and racial violence present in US Army units that existed alongside competing notions of masculinity among American officers, soldiers, and Liberian men in their employ. Further, Alfin uncovers the extent of sexual liaisons between GIs and women in Liberia. Exceptional Situations provides insight into how a unique context can disrupt preconceived notions of American military-civil relations, in addition to demonstrating the value of studying wartime units and soldiers far removed from the frontlines. Ultimately, this analysis represents a means for understanding the values of contemporary armies, the individuals who constitute them, and the societies they come from.