unconventional warriors: the fantasy of the american resistance fighter in television and film

Tracing the ＂American Guerrilla＂ narrative through more than one hundred years of film and television, this book shows how the conventions and politics of this narrative influence Americans to see themselves as warriors, both on screen and in history.

• Identifies a recurring theme in American films and television from 1915 to the present: Americans fighting—and often winning—guerrilla wars against overwhelming and seemingly superior forces

• Examines the cultural impact of these narratives as they reflect and reinforce American concepts of identity, particularly as they relate to historical or imagined war

• Invites inquiry into the way in which Americans conceive of ＂war＂ and of ＂guerrillas＂

• Presents a relevant perspective in the present political and historical moment, in which the United States is increasingly and inextricably involved in conflicts around the world