Defending Whose Country?

Indigenous Soldiers in the Pacific War

By: Noah Riseman

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Hardcover | 1 December 2012

At a Glance

Hardcover
336 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
24.13 x 16.51 x 2.54

Hardcover

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In the campaign against Japan in the Pacific during the Second World War, the armed forces of the United States, Australia, and the Australian colonies of Papua and New Guinea made use of indigenous peoples in new capacities. The United States had long used American Indians as soldiers and scouts in frontier conflicts and in wars with other nations. With the advent of the Navajo Code Talkers in the Pacific theater, Native servicemen were now being employed for contributions that were unique to their Native cultures. In contrast, Australia, Papua, and New Guinea had long attempted to keep indigenous peoples out of the armed forces altogether. With the threat of Japanese invasion, however, they began to bring indigenous peoples into the military as guerilla patrollers, coastwatchers, and regular soldiers.

Defending Whose Country? is a comparative study of the military participation of Papua New Guineans, Yolngu, and Navajos in the Pacific theater. In examining the decisions of state and military leaders to bring indigenous peoples into military service, as well as the decisions of indigenous individuals to serve in the armed forces, Noah Riseman reconsiders the impact of the largely forgotten contributions of indigenous soldiers in the Second World War.

Industry Reviews

"A worthy contribution to comparative military history."-Alison R. Bernstein, Journal of American History
"Defending Whose Country? is a welcome contribution to the existing body of literature and posits some interest questions in this understudied area of military history.""-Alexios Alecou, Army History
"A fascinating study."-Jatinder Mann, Journal of New Zealand and Pacific Studies

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction History Military History Second World War Earliest Times to Present Day 20th Century History from 1900 to 2000 Regional & National History Australasian & Pacific History Society & Culture Social Groups Ethnic Studies Indigenous Peoples

General & World History Specific Events & Topics in History Social & Cultural History Cultural Studies

List of Illustrations	p. vii
Preface	p. ix
List of Abbreviations	p. xiii
Introduction: Reading Colonialism and Indigenous Involvement in the Second World War	p. 1
An Exception in the Equation? Donald Thomson and the NTSRU	p. 35
Allies at War: De Facto Yolngu Soldiers	p. 67
Black Skins, Black Work: Papuan and New Guinean Labor	p. 99
Guerillas for the White Men: Formal Papuan and New Guinean Fighters	p. 135
The Navajo Code Talkers: Warriors for the Settler Nation	p. 169
When the War Was Over: Forgetting and (Re)membering the Code Talkers	p. 195
Conclusion: The Soldier-Warrior in Modern War	p. 221
Source Acknowledgments	p. 233
Notes	p. 235
Bibliography	p. 271
Index	p. 297
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Defending Whose Country?

Indigenous Soldiers in the Pacific War

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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