Publication Date

8-2023

Date of Final Oral Examination (Defense)

April 2023

Type of Culminating Activity

Thesis

Degree Title

Master of Arts in History

Department

History

Major Advisor

David Walker, Ph.D.

Advisor

Lisa McClain, Ph.D.

Advisor

Lisa Brady, Ph.D.

Abstract

While the Korean War is considered America’s “Forgotten War,” the conflict offers rich insight into an unexplored facet of 1950s masculine gender constructs. This thesis examines how Korean War servicemen deviated from hegemonic masculinity by failing to live up to civilian society’s gender standards, and by unwittingly developing alternative masculinities rooted in their shared wartime experiences. Military masculinity declined after World War II in favor of masculinity centered on nuclear companionate fatherhood. The troops who fought in Korea embodied obsolete masculinity and their service garnered less prestige and public admiration compared to that of their World War II counterparts. Nevertheless, strong homosocial bonds within the military subculture became the basis for the troops’ understanding of masculinity. These masculine bonds were centered on shared experiences, suffering, and brotherly loyalty, which led to the erosion of masculine barriers related to race and sexual orientation. This in turn served to challenge the white, heteronormative masculine hegemony of the civilian world, though fell short of eradicating racism and homophobia within the military. This key piece of Korean War history and gender history has been overlooked in academia, and this thesis serves to begin filling this deficit.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.18122/td.2131.boisestate

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