Epistolary Constructions of Post-World War I Identity: The Invisibility of Minority Groups

by Manel Herat

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030878917
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	12/03/2021
Edition description:	1st ed. 2021
Pages:	178
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Manel Herat is Senior Lecturer in the Department of English at Liverpool Hope University, UK.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations and tables

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations used in text

1. Introduction

• Compiling the corpus

• The letter: Metacommunicative features in colonial correspondence

• Post-war letters to the Lord Mayor of Liverpool: Epistolary constructions of identity
• Historical learning disabilities: linguistic abilities of ex-servicemen with imbecility, feeblemindedness and mental deficiency in the Ministry of Pension files
• Psychological disability, word use and identity: language in ex-servicemen’s letters to the Ministry of Pensions

• Keywords in the DSM manuals: an analysis of psychological disorders of warfare

• Europe through Indian Eyes: constructions of foreignness in Indian soldiers’ letters
9. Conclusion

Index

Appendices

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

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terrible dynamic with a particular focus on World War I. Her analysis of personal letters, which have become important historical documents, reveals much about a devastating shift from the frontline of battle to the margins of society.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.)