Impotent Warriors ― Gulf War Syndrome, Vulnerability and Masculinity

Kilshaw (anthropologist and researcher, U. College London) explores the effects of Gulf War Syndrome on British military personnel who served in the war from September 1990 to June, 1991. The author uses the techniques and perspectives of anthropology to examine the causes and physical and emotional effects on the men and women who served, and their continued suffering from a variety of medical conditions. The author also addresses the primary questions surrounding Gulf War Syndrome: is it a specific organic condition caused by toxins, as many suggest, or is it a psychological condition indicative of a larger group of illnesses? Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Susie Kilshaw is a social anthropologist at University College London where she pursues her research interests in new illnesses, health scares and anxieties, military health, and trans-cultural psychiatry. She previously worked for the NHS as a clinically applied medical anthropologist on issues surrounding ethnic minorities and mental health. Since 2004 she has been Assistant Editor of Anthropology and Medicine.