Sacrifice and Civic Membership: The War on Terror

Abstract

This paper explores efforts on the part of immigrants and LGBT individuals to leverage citizenship and fuller civic membership for themselves through their own military service or (in the case of immigrants) the military service of their family members. Through an investigation of the relationship between service and sacrifice on the one hand and civic membership on the other, readers will be better situated to think through the meaning of sacrifice in the current set of military engagements and how this builds on a long tradition in American history. The paper critically questions the relationship between civic status and civic performance.

Keywords: race, citizenship, sexuality, law, military