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Social Science Goes to War: The Human Terrain System in Iraq and Afghanistan
Mongomery (E McFate
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Description for Social Science Goes to War: The Human Terrain System in Iraq and Afghanistan
Paperback. An assessment of the US military programme in which anthropologists and other social scientists researched societies at war in Iraq and Afghanistan Editor(s): McFate, Montgomery; Laurence, Janice H. Num Pages: 320 pages. BIC Classification: 1FBQ; 1FCA; JHMC. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 143 x 217 x 319. Weight in Grams: 510.
The Human Terrain System (HTS) was catapulted into existence in 2006 by the US military's urgent need for knowledge of the human dimension of the battlespace in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its centrepiece was embedded groups of mixed military and civilian personnel, known as Human Terrain Teams (HTTs), whose mission was to conduct social science research and analysis and to advise military commanders about the local population. Bringing social science - and actual social scientists - to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was bold and challenging. Despite the controversy over HTS among scholars, there is little good, reliable source material written by those with experience of HTS or about the actual work carried out by teams in theatre. This volume goes beyond the anecdotes, snippets and blogs to provide a comprehensive, objective and detailed view of HTS. The contributors put the program in historical context, discuss the obstacles it faced, analyse its successes, and detail the work of the teams downrange. Most importantly, they capture some of the diverse lived experience of HTS scholars and practitioners drawn from an eclectic array of the social sciences.
Product Details
Publisher
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd United Kingdom
Number of pages
320
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2015
Condition
New
Number of Pages
320
Place of Publication
London, United Kingdom
ISBN
9781849044219
SKU
V9781849044219
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 5 to 9 working days
Ref
99-50
About Mongomery (E McFate
Montgomery McFate is a cultural anthropologist who works on defence and national security issues. She is the Minerva Chair at the Center for Naval Warfare Studies at the US Naval War College and has been profiled in the New Yorker, Elle and the Atlantic Monthly. Janice H. Laurence is a professor in the College of Education at Temple University and is an internationally recognised military psychologist.
Reviews for Social Science Goes to War: The Human Terrain System in Iraq and Afghanistan
'Laurence and McFate have produced an invaluable contribution to the literature examining the role of social sciences generally and anthropology in particular in assisting military operations, especially in counterinsurgency. This volume combines superb first-hand reports of how human terrain teams function with deep analytical and ethical analysis. First rate.'
Martin L. Cook, Admiral James Bond Stockdale Professor of Professional Military Ethics, United States Naval War College
'The Human Terrain System was one of the most interesting innovations in a Department of Defense that was unprepared for the counterinsurgency campaigns of this century. This book captures many of the lessons learned from that wartime adaptation
lessons that will be essential preparation for the counterinsurgency campaigns that are sure to emerge in the years ahead.'
John Nagl, Ninth Headmaster, The Haverford School, and author of Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern War
'Social Science Goes to War is an extraordinarily important contribution to the literature on the recent US wars. McFate, a co-founder of the Human Terrain System, and the other authors, unflinchingly examine their efforts to help the US military understand the socio-political realities of Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States knew painfully little about the these places, a deficit that fatally compromised the prospects for US-led counterinsurgency. The same knowledge will be needed if the US wishes help build the peace.'
Linda Robinson, senior international policy analyst at the RAND Corporation and author of One Hundred Victories: Special Ops and the Future of American Warfare
Martin L. Cook, Admiral James Bond Stockdale Professor of Professional Military Ethics, United States Naval War College
'The Human Terrain System was one of the most interesting innovations in a Department of Defense that was unprepared for the counterinsurgency campaigns of this century. This book captures many of the lessons learned from that wartime adaptation
lessons that will be essential preparation for the counterinsurgency campaigns that are sure to emerge in the years ahead.'
John Nagl, Ninth Headmaster, The Haverford School, and author of Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern War
'Social Science Goes to War is an extraordinarily important contribution to the literature on the recent US wars. McFate, a co-founder of the Human Terrain System, and the other authors, unflinchingly examine their efforts to help the US military understand the socio-political realities of Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States knew painfully little about the these places, a deficit that fatally compromised the prospects for US-led counterinsurgency. The same knowledge will be needed if the US wishes help build the peace.'
Linda Robinson, senior international policy analyst at the RAND Corporation and author of One Hundred Victories: Special Ops and the Future of American Warfare