Child Soldiers: Militarism and American Youth

今天，“儿童兵”一词让人联想到发展中国家的年轻人被残酷地强迫参加战争的画面。然而，直到最近，7至17岁的儿童在美国军队中占很大比例。大批儿童还加入了沿着军事路线建立的组织或学校。该项目预计将首次研究美国历史上童年与军国主义之间的关系。探索关于童年军事化的辩论，以及儿童兵自己的经历，旨在揭示如何改变对童年的理解，并不断演变对美国作为一个军事国家的态度。

Today, the term 'child soldier' evokes images of youths brutally coerced into fighting wars in the developing world. Yet until recently, children aged seven to seventeen made up a significant portion of the American military. Masses of children also joined organisations or schools structured along military lines. This project is expected to provide the first examination of the relationship between childhood and militarism across United States history. Exploring debates over the militarisation of childhood, as well as the experiences of child soldiers themselves, it aims to reveal how changing understandings of childhood intersected with evolving attitudes toward America as a military nation.