War Dead: Western Societies and the Casualties of War

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How do societies handle their war dead, and what is their attitude to the bodies of their enemies? In the 19th century, battlefield casualties were pushed into mass graves, their identities remaining unknown. Today, the war dead are held in much higher regard, their identities crucial. A historical study of the way in which war and death intersect, War Dead describes the complex attitude societies have taken towards death. Seduced by the concept of eternal youth, tempted to fight death as well as physical decay, and faced with longer life expectancy, we indulge in the hope of war without loss of life, but doesn't our expectation of "zero death" mean more deaths for the enemy?

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Luc Capdevila is lecturer in contemporary history, University of Rennes. DanixE9;le Voldman is director of research, Institut d'histoire du temps prxE9;sent.