Geopolitical Constructs

An impressive tour de force. Relying on meticulous research and unpublished archival material, Flint manages the daunting task of bringing a fresh and interesting insight to the events of D-Day. He does so by providing a multi-layered approach, which emphasizes the key social, political, economic, and geopolitical developments that were required in order to turn Churchills vision of temporary harbors into actual bridges for the invasion of the Continent. He also does so by questioning the way in which we conceptualize war as events with well-defined geographies and timeframes. . . . By its interdisciplinary nature, [this book will] be a great source for scholars focused on European history, geography and politics in the twentieth century. * Europe Now * In sum, Geopolitical Constructs: The Mulberry Harbours, World War Two, and the Making of a Militarized Transatlantic is an impressive tour de force. Relying on meticulous research and unpublished archival material, Flint manages the daunting task of bringing a fresh and interesting insight to the events of D-Day.... [T]his book... should, by its inter-disciplinary nature, be a great source for scholars focused on European history, geography and politics in the twentieth Century. * Europe Now * In this meticulously detailed book, Colin Flint draws on extensive archival records to document the social and institutional networks that make war possible and in turn demonstrates how geopolitical subjects are themselves transformed by war. Geopolitical Constructs is a pathbreaking book that combines rigorous scholarship and theoretical acumen with skilled storytelling. -- James Tyner, Kent State University Geopolitical Constructs is a prime example of how the study of geopolitics has been bursting out of its traditional narrow perspectives. Colin Flint takes a crucial military event and contextualizes it in all its political, economic, and social complexity. The result of this well-researched study is an invaluable addition to our understanding of a widely known event that is both convincing and illuminating. -- Peter Taylor, emeritus, Northumbria University Colin Flints new book excavates the history of World War Two in ways that will be surprising to many people who thought they knew that history forward and backward. More importantly, he does so in a way that provocatively highlights the material infrastructures that stitched together the transatlantic alliance and re-made the postwar geopolitical order. -- Jason Dittmer, University College London Colin Flints Geopolitical Constructs provides an innovative, and at times, heart-felt examination of the men and women responsible for the invention and implementation of the Mulberry Harbours a set of artificial harbours integral to D-Day planning. Both historical and geographical, it shows what can be done when you follow people, objects and places and their mutual entanglements. The Mulberry Harbours may not be as well-known as the Bailey bridge but it was integral to Allied efforts to defeat Nazi Germany. Highly recommended. -- Klaus Dodds, Royal Holloway University of London; author of Geopolitics: A Very Short Introduction

Colin Flint is a political geographer and professor in the Department of Political Science, Utah State University.

List of Figures Acknowledgments Chapter One: Introduction: The Mulberry Harbours and Ways to Think About War Chapter Two: Geopolitical Constructs: Understanding Global Geopolitical Change Chapter Three: The Scope of the Mulberry Harbour Project: Demanded by Strategy, Made by Committee Chapter Four: Bureaucratic Construct: Millions spent on a plan which had not been approved Chapter Five: Good Geopolitical Subjects: Did we, Sir, do well? Chapter Six: The Business of Making the Mulberry Harbours: War may be an intensification in the development of our lives Chapter Seven: Making Places: You are probably aware that a scheme has been prepared Chapter Eight: Making Regions: From bridge to unsinkable aircraft carrier Chapter Nine: Conclusion: The Legacies of Geopolitical Constructs Bibliography About the Author