Ideas and Forms in Art: Stories on Love, War & Industry, and Women: A Gould Center Passion Project

War & Industry: An Introduction

I don’t think I ever really thought much about the definition of war. War was something that I accepted just happened. It happened for sovereignty and justice. It happened for power and tyranny. The definition I found in my textbook for my introduction to international politics class made me think about how intricate the event of war is.¹ One aspect of the definition that spoke to me was the distinct detail that war is between different groups. One group attacks. Then, another group makes a choice to resist. When a resistance exists, that is when the loss of life begins. The cost of war is immeasurable, but it happens all the time. It happens internationally, across and within regions, and within states themselves. The majority of the United States is removed from the reality of current wars. I would even say the majority of the United States doesn’t find the time to question what the effects of the class war or the war on drugs has been. To be fair, I think most people who don’t have the resources or time to think about these wars are the ones being socially, economically, and politically oppressed. Come to Chicago. I can give you a personal tour of wars that underrepresented people are facing every single day and they don’t realize the scope of it.

I included artwork that has to do with industry as well this week. It’s clear that war, more specifically its outcome, is dependent on industry. The term “military-industrial complex” exists for a reason.² Although industry during war is important, like what advancements a military has, industry is a broad term and goes beyond traditional warfare. The Merriam-Webster dictionary identifies four explanations of industry that most of us are familiar with. They are the following: 

(a) manufacturing activity as a whole; (b) a distinct group of productive or profit-making enterprises; (c) a department or branch of a craft, art, business, or manufacture, especially one that employs a large personnel and capital especially in manufacturing; (d) systematic labor especially for some useful purpose or the creation of something of value.³

Through these definitions, it's clear industry is everywhere. It is essential, and, usually, industry is a good thing. We want economies to grow and people to work in them. We want to create “something of value.” Industry is a beautiful end. It has helped countries like the U.S. progress at incredible rates. But, what about the means of industry? What is sacrificed at the cost of achieving industry? The art of this week aims to comment on the costs of war and industry.

¹ Frieden, Jeffry A., et al. World Politics: Interests, Interactions, Institutions. 4th ed., W.W. Norton & Company, 2019.
² The article, “Military-Industrial Complex,” from history.com demonstrates the increasing awareness of the military-industrial complex during President Eisenhower’s administration.
³ See online Merriam-Webster dictionary for full definition and contextualization of industry (noun).

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