Impotent Warriors

Susie Kilshaw is a social anthropologist at University College London where she pursues her research interests in new illnesses, health scares and anxieties, military health, and trans-cultural psychiatry. She previously worked for the NHS as a clinically applied medical anthropologist on issues surrounding ethnic minorities and mental health. Since 2004 she has been Assistant Editor of Anthropology and Medicine.

• List of AbbreviationsAcknowledgementsIntroductionPART I: GWS EXPLANATORY MODELSChapter 1. “Desert Rats, Not Lab Rats”IntroductionBiomedical Position on GWSA Veteran’s ViewDiscussion of GWS CausesRiskConclusionsChapter 2. Chains of Causation, Chains of KnowledgeIntroductionContested KnowledgeClaims to Truth and KnowledgeLevels of CausationMeta-narrativeConclusionsPART II: BODIES AND BOUNDARIESChapter 3. Leaky BodiesIntroductionBody SubstancesBody Substances as CommodityVisibilityShifting BoundariesExtended BoundariesLeaky BodiesInternal RisksConclusionsChapter 4. “We are the Enemy”Boundaries and BordersTheories of Causation and the Immune SystemMilitary MetaphorsConclusionsPART III GWS AS UNIQUE ILLNESSChapter 5. Veterans’ AssociationsThe Construction of GWS NarrativesThe Role of Women“You Aren’t Mad – It’s Chemical”ConclusionsChapter 6. The Disappearing Man: Narratives of Lost MasculinitySemenThe Soldier’s Body: The Embodiment of MasculinityGWS Bodies: The Disappearance of Masculinity“Old Women’s Diseases”WomenConclusionsChapter 7. Impotent Warriors: The Context of Narratives of Lost MasculinityMilitary MasculinityMasculinity under ThreatGender AnxietyLeaving the MilitaryThe Military ContextConclusions: Embodying Male LackConclusion: GWS and World Trade Centre SyndromeGWS: An Illness of Our Time?Risk and VulnerabilityThe medicalisation of LifeThe Approach of AnthropologyEthical Issues and DilemmasConclusionsAppendicesBibliographyIndex

“Medical dialogues are rarely solely about medical matters but serve as a proxy for feelings about the self and the way that an individual relates to others. Indeed, the inclusion of transcripts of interviews and discussions is of particular value…a brave book that challenges popular assumptions about Gulf War syndrome; her analysis of the long-term effects of military service will serve as an important record not only for those with an interest in the armed forces, but also for researchers in the field of illness perception.”  ·  The British Journal of Psychiatry“This is an important anthropological study, which I believe is set to become a classic. The theoretical perspectives are clearly presented and applied to compelling ethnographic material. The publication of this manuscript will make it accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students of anthropology, as well as students of political science, sociology and military studies.”  ·  Vieda Skultans