Citation

Newsinger J. Race Class 2011; 52(4): 30-43.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Institute of Race Relations, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0306396810396580

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The figure of the marine is not only the embodiment of US militarism, but also a major icon of popular culture. The Marine Corps was prominently deployed in the invasion of Iraq, as it has been in all major US military enterprises. But while there has been much and ongoing discussion about that war, less attention has been paid to its increasing impact on mainstream American culture. In this groundbreaking account, the author reviews and analyses the ever-growing body of literature produced by marines themselves. The article reveals a disturbing picture of pornographic violence, certainty in US military right and, crucially, an increasing turn to rightwing Christian fundamentalism as both imperative and justification for the war.