A Soldier and a Woman

The question of women's role in the military is extremely topical. A Woman and a Soldier covers the experiences of women in the military from the late mediaeval period to the present day. Written in two volumes this comprehensive guide covers a wide range of wars: The Thirty Years War, the French and Indian Wars in Northern America, the Anglo-Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, the Long March in China, and the Vietnam War. There are also thematic chapters, including studies of terrorism and contemporary military service. Taking a multidisciplinary approach: historical, anthropological, and cultural, the book shows the variety of arguments used to support or deny women's military service and the combat taboo. In the process the book challenges preconceived notions about women's integration in the military and builds a picture of the ideological and practical issues surrounding women soldiers.

Gerard J. DeGroot is Senior Lecturer and Chair in the Department of Modern History at the University of St Andrews. His many publications include Blighty- British Society in the Era of the Great War (1996), Student Protest- The Sixties and After (1998) and A Noble Cause? America and the Vietnam War (1999).

Corinna Peniston-Bird is Research Fellow in the Department of History, University of Lancaster. She is also co-authoring (with Gerard J. DeGroot) Women in the Line of Fire- the Female Soldier in the Modern Military (Routledge). She has also published Vienna in the World Bibliographical Series (1997).