Defending the home(land): gendering Civil Defence from the First World War to the 'War on Terror'

Abstract

The development of new weaponry and techniques with which to wage war in the twentieth century brought about a new type of conflict. From the First World War onwards, the defence of the home in Britain became central, not only to the safety of those within that home, but also to national morale and ultimately, to victory. Civil defence became a central aspect of both preparations for warfare and of warfare itself.Civil defence became – and remains – a central means by which the citizen is addressed by the state. It restages the relationship between the individual, who undertakes to participate in civil defence, and the state, which undertakes to protect those living withinits borders. As such, this chapter argues that civil defence implicitly entails a renegotiation of citizenship, a renegotiation that must be understood as gendered.