Foreign Service Books
The Accidental Diplomat: Dilemmas of the Trailing Spouse
By Katherine L. Hughes
"Foreign Service wives have acted as a force for change; they fought for, and won, rights for themselves and freedom from obvious abuses. It may be that now, however, increasing numbers of wives (and husbands) are deciding that they cannot adjust, they cannot be a full individual in an outdated role, so instead of making a full commitment to the Foreign Service, they leave it (and/or their spouses) to follow other paths. As one wife speculated, those who remain will consist of a self-selected group of women with portable careers such as teaching and art, and traditional women who define themselves as wives and mothers. But among my younger respondents, there were very few of the latter."
"This important book probes the awkward world of women whose identities are shaped by the professional commitments of their husbands to the Foreign Service. Like the more common case of corporate wives, or the more unusual role of first ladies, Foreign Service wives live an auxiliary life. Yet they are most often among the best-known symbols of American society in foreign lands, responsible for representing the nation's interests and cultural traditions in settings far from home. They are asked to play this pivotal role without real compensation, without many of the 'props' we take for granted stateside, and in the context of shifting locales that force them to reinvent their lives every two or three years. Katherine Hughes shows us what kind of toll this takes on Foreign Service wives and the artful ways in which they learn to live with their responsibilities. She lends a sociological voice where it is most needed."
-- Katherine Newman, Ford Foundation
Professor of Urban Studies
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
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