About the Project
Beyond The Fence is a project exploring the ideational and institutional factors in domestic civilian–base community relations in the United States during periods of expansion and contestation. Interviews were used in a case study of a grassroots campaign advocating for the basing of the F-35A training mission at Luke Air Force Base (AFB).The project was inspired by competing discourse about fighter aircraft on military installations, ranging from conceptions of fighter jets as “the sound of freedom” to concerns about noise, air, and water pollution from military bases.
Interviews with Ron Sites, president and executive director of Fighter Country Partnership and Fighter Country Foundation, and three members of Luke AFB’s Community Initiatives Team (CIT) serve as field data for a case study of the grassroots Luke Forward campaign. The campaign mobilized community support for the basing of the F-35A training mission at Luke AFB.
The interviews highlight the role of institutional relationships between civilian–base communities and the power of economic discourse for maintaining coherence between actors during periods of expansion and contestation[/vc_column_text][/vc_column]
