Introduction

A nuanced understanding of state violence and gender (in)equalities must consider the varied and contradictory experiences of armed civilian women, female soldiers, and opponents of gun possession. How is feminism and femininity negotiated in the early 21st century by civilian and military women in a nation that fetishizes guns? This book addresses this social problem by offering a comparative analysis of the particular dilemmas that gender inequality, class inequality, race/racism and U.S. nationalism generate for women of diverse backgrounds who are struggling to balance conventional gender roles, femininity and gendered violence in the United States.