Gender and the Race for Space - Masculinity and the American Astronaut, 1957-1983

This book argues that the American astronaut image was informed by early Cold War ideals of masculinity that helped mold a distinctly American (anti-communist) masculinity, which appeared-on the surface anyway-to resolve not only an American "crisis of masculinity" but helped win the Cold War on an ideological and popular level.

List of contents

Acknowledgments; Introduction: Who Can Fly? Gender and the American Astronaut; 1-Early Cold War Gender Roles in the Public and Private Discourse; 2-Light This Candle: Project Mercury and Cold War Masculinity; 3-The First Lady Astronaut Trainees (FLATs); 4-Refreshingly Human and Winning: Pilot Control and Project Gemini; 5-It's Hip to Be Square: Democratic Manhood and the Apollo Program; 6-What Made It Possible for Sally to Ride?: The Shuttle's Domestication and Democratization of Spaceflight; Conclusion: To Infinity and Beyond; Bibliography; Index

About the author

Erinn McComb, PhD, is Associate Professor of History at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. She researches the intersection of gender with foreign policy, science, and technology.

Product details

• Authors: Erinn McComb
• Publisher: Anthem Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 06.08.2024, delayed
• EAN: 9781839987175
• ISBN: 978-1-83998-717-5
• No. of pages: 304
• Series: Anthem Intercultural Transfer Studies; Anthem Intercultural Transfer
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Contemporary history (1945 to 1989); Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Gender Studies, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Geopolitics, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Aeronautics & Astronautics, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, Social and cultural history, Gender studies, gender groups, Aerospace & aviation technology, The Cold War, c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period), Cold wars and proxy conflicts, Aerospace and aviation technology, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / General