Abstract

Many issues of gaining access to the field are illustrated in Lutz’s Homefront (2002). The volume, representing the author’s first foray into the study of “things military,” argues that the United States is a country “made” by war preparation. Lutz focuses on Fayetteville, North Carolina, and neighboring Fort Bragg, the largest army base in the United States. She uses a rich array of sources gathered over a period of six years – among them tens of interviews and numerous conversations with military personnel and civilians, official records, and journalistic accounts – to undergird her analysis. Despite her critical tone, Lutz presents human portrayals of soldiers and of people who live in and around the city.