New Books in Science, Technology, and Society

Jeffrey Whyte, "The Birth of Psychological War: Propaganda, Espionage, and Military Violence from WWII to the Vietnam War" (Oxford UP, 2023)


Listen Later

Jeffrey Whyte's book The Birth of Psychological War: Propaganda, Espionage, and Military Violence from WWII to the Vietnam War (Oxford UP, 2023) explores the history, politics, and geography of United States psychological warfare in the 20th century against the backdrop of the contemporary 'post-truth era'. From its origins in the Second World War, to the United States' counterinsurgency campaigns in Vietnam, Whyte traces how the theory and practice of psychological warfare transformed the relationship between the home front and theatres of war. Whyte interrogates the broader political mythologies that animate popular conceptions of psychological war, such as its claim to make war more humane and less violent. 

On the contrary, The Birth of Psychological War demonstrates the role of psychological warfare in expanding the scope and scale of military violence amidst ostensible efforts to 'win hearts and minds'. While casting a critical eye on psychological warfare, Whyte establishes its continued significance for the contemporary student of international relations.

Dr. Whyte earned his Ph.D. with the Department of Geography, University of British Columbia and before that a MA with School of Communication, Simon Fraser University, also in beautiful British Columbia. He is currently Lecturer in International Relations at the Department of Politics, Philosophy, and Religion, Lancaster University.

Michael G. Vann is a professor of world history at California State University, Sacramento. A specialist in imperialism and the Cold War in Southeast Asia, he is the author of The Great Hanoi Rat Hunt: Empires, Disease, and Modernity in French Colonial Vietnam (Oxford University Press, 2018). When he’s not reading or talking about new books with smart people, Mike can be found surfing in Santa Cruz, California.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-technology-and-society

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

New Books in Science, Technology, and SocietyBy New Books Network

  • 3.7
  • 3.7
  • 3.7
  • 3.7
  • 3.7

3.7

31 ratings


More shows like New Books in Science, Technology, and Society

View all
Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Science Friday

6,080 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,405 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

293 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

303 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

288 Listeners

New Books in Critical Theory by Marshall Poe

New Books in Critical Theory

145 Listeners

Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

Unexpected Elements

354 Listeners

The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,627 Listeners

The world, the universe and us by New Scientist

The world, the universe and us

113 Listeners

Acid Horizon by Acid Horizon

Acid Horizon

175 Listeners

What's Left of Philosophy by Lillian Cicerchia, Owen Glyn-Williams, Gil Morejón, and William Paris

What's Left of Philosophy

259 Listeners

Ones and Tooze by Foreign  Policy

Ones and Tooze

343 Listeners

Macrodose by Planet B Productions

Macrodose

26 Listeners

Close Readings by London Review of Books

Close Readings

54 Listeners

Past Present Future by David Runciman

Past Present Future

309 Listeners