Women, the State, and War looks at the intersection of gender, citizenship, and nationalism; marriage, intermarriage, and how states gender that relationship; and the ways in which women are used as symbols to reinforce or further nationalistic goals. Women have long struggled with issues of citizenship, identity, and the challenge of being recognized as equal members of the community. Governments use feminine imagery (e.g., mother country) to create a national identity, while simultaneously minimizing the role that women play as productive contributors to the society. Authors Joyce P. Kaufman and Kristen P. Williams examine the relationship of government and women in four different countries: the United States, Israel, the former Yugoslavia, and Northern Ireland. In each case, numerous similarities appear: conflict plays a significant role in the definition of citizenship for women; women's movements have worked in contradiction to the state; and citizenship and marriage are gendered undertakings.

"Recommended." - CHOICE

"The analytical work itself is largely both compelling and convincing. For students of gender, violence and the State, this text offers an accessible overview of feminist literature on nationalism." - International Feminist Journal of Politics, March 2010

"Kaufman and Williams rightly observe that with the rise of nationalism, protection for women's rights declined....I would recommend the book as very informative and for bringing attention to women's continuous struggles for equal rights....Kaufman and Williams also succeed in establishing the role of women's activism in the context of war and open conficts." - Women's Studies Quarterly, Spring/Summer 2010

"I would recommend this book as very informative and for bringing attention to women's continuous struggles for equal rights…. Kaufman and Williams also succeed in establishing the role of women's activism even in the context of war and open conflicts." - WSQ: Women's Studies Quarterly, Spring/Summer 2010