Book Description

"Within the cultural imagination, soldiers in action are so often elevated to a superhuman, heroic status. Owing to bigoted attitudes towards disability and ethnicity, however, the very same people can be made to feel subhuman if and when they are lucky enough to return to regular life. Dr Herat explores this terrible dynamic with a particular focus on World War I. Her analysis of personal letters, which have become important historical documents, reveals much about a devastating shift from the frontline of battle to the margins of society." --Professor David Bolt, Director Centre for Culture and Disability Studies "Epistolary constructions of post World War I identity makes an entirely original contribution to the literature of soldier subjectivity in the First World War. Through linguistic analysis it sheds new light on the experiences of marginalized communities whose own voices too often are overlooked in historical discussion." --Jessica Meyer, Associate Professor of Modern British History, University of Leeds, UK. This book analyses the letters of marginalised groups of World War I soldiers - including Black, Indian and disabled ex-servicemen - from a linguistic perspective, looking at issues such as descriptions of disability, identity and migration, dealing with minority groups who have long been rendered invisible, and exploring how these writers position themselves in relation to the 'other'. The author makes use of a corpus-assisted approach to examine identity construction and performance, shedding light on a previously under-explored demographic. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of World War I history, language and identity, psychological and physical disability, as well as readers seeking a fresh angle on a key period of 20th century history. Manel Herat is Senior Lecturer in the Department of English at Liverpool Hope University, UK. .