Author looks at culture, Citadel

Far from being an immutable bastion, or some archaic regional anachronism reflecting only the traditions of the Old South, The Citadel may be seen as having found itself squarely on the front lines of America's culture wars over the past 60 years.

This is one of the principal arguments put forth by Dr. Alexander Macaulay (Citadel Class of 1994) in "Marching in Step: Masculinity, Citizenship, and The Citadel in Post-World War II America," just released by the University of Georgia Press.

Deploying his own experiences, including being on the military campus when the first female cadet was admitted, Macaulay marshals further ammunition via extensive interviews with Citadel grads of the 1960s and 1970s as well as with faculty from varied periods. "Marching" examines the school as it relates to concepts of masculinity, Southern distinctiveness and the South's real (and imagined) relationship to the broader sweep of U.S. history.

Macaulay, an assistant professor and graduate coordinator in the department of history at Western Carolina University, will discuss his inaugural book at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Duckett Hall Auditorium at The Citadel as part of the annual fall Fulghum Lecture Series. The address is free and open to the public.

Despite the title's academic tone, the author says he wrote it largely for the general reader.

"In the back of my mind, me being a Citadel graduate, it was also done with some sense of how the book might be read and interpreted by other graduates," says the Columbia native, who grew up in Oconee. "That was definitely a consideration in some of the arguments I advanced and stories I put in.

"Part of what makes a book like this more accessible is a general fascination with The Citadel. The school arouses considerable emotions in South Carolina, throughout the South and, in many cases, around the nation. People have an image of The Citadel whether or not they've visited the campus, and this book challenges some of their views."

Macaulay received his doctorate from the University of Georgia. His research ranges from the modern South and contemporary American history to cultural (not biological) notions of masculinity in flux. His work also has been published in the South Carolina Historical Magazine, Southern Cultures and the Journal of East Tennessee History. In developing the book, Macaulay found several issues to be particularly engrossing. Chief among them was what he terms a once "deeply gendered assessment of ideal American citizenship" at The Citadel that mirrored "the predominantly white, all-male environment where (cadets) studied, lived and labored." This, and a further ideal of masculinity as embodied by "strong, tough, disciplined, conservative white men" who became "the masculine standard by which Citadel men judged one another" and the rest of the nation.

"What drew me to it at first is this image people have that it's an archaic Southern institution," says Macaulay. "What became clear to me was, instead, the Americanness of it. The school was not outside the American mainstream but in many cases marching alongside the mainstream. I was also fascinated with ideas of citizenship and how they evolved after the World War II period. The gendered definition of citizenship became the most compelling part to me toward the end of the book, what attracted people to it and what that said about the nation and the South."

Above all, Macaulay insists, the post-war history of The Citadel is a history of change, the school being a reflection of the larger society rather than a reaction against it.

"It was not a bulwark against change. It underwent immense change during the period, much like the South and the country. Even in ideological terms in that some cadets were able to redefine masculinity in a way that allowed for dissent (from the norm). One thing that raises eyebrows is when I talk of the student movement creeping into The Citadel. The school was deeply embroiled in these culture wars that grew out of the '60s and intensified in the '70s and '80s."

The tension between being both an insider and a dispassionate historian worked in his favor, Macaulay says, while sharing a common language with fellow graduates helped establish trust and gain access.

"I never lost interest in the topic, which happens to some writers when a book project drags on through the years. My knowledge of The Citadel and how it works made the topic fun and helped me when I did interviews with other graduates. I went through mounds of tapes. It's not hard to get Citadel grads to talk about The Citadel."

Reach Bill Thompson at bthompson@postandcourier.com or 937-5707.