The American West Competing Visions

This introduction to the history of the American West seeks to move beyond the polarised views of Frederick Jackson Turner's Old West (the Frontier, civilisation and savagery, national progress, gunfights, glory and individual fortitude) and Patricia Nelson Limerick and Richard White's New West (the conquest of peoples and landscapes, and genocide).Through a series of thematic chapters it explores the truths, fallacies and contradictions tied up in these historical traditions and offers a new, more balanced approach to viewing the Western past. Readers will acquire an understanding of the key themes and debates in Western history as well as an awareness of competing academic discourses. Tapping into popular fascination with the Cowboy, Hollywood movies, the Indian Wars, and Custer's Last Stand, the authors show the student how to deconstruct the imagery and reality surrounding Western history.The main focus is on social and environmental history, though political, economic and religious factors are also introduced as appropriate. The authors take an interdisciplinary approach, employing film, literature and art as well as historical artefacts to present a colourful depiction of life in the West.Key Features:'¢ A general, lively and provocative introduction to the history of the American West'¢ An intellectual challenge to existing approaches and ideas about the West'¢ A summary of the latest key arguments about the meaning of the West'¢ Includes 10 b+w illustrations and numerous maps

Karen R. Jones is a Lecturer in American History at the University of Kent. She is author of Wolf Mountains: A History of Wolves along the Great Divide (2002). John Wills is a Lecturer in American History at the University of Kent. He is co-author, with Karen R. Jones, of The Invention of the Park: Recreational Landscapes from the Garden of Eden to Disney's Magic Kingdom (2005) and author of Conservation Fallout: Energy and Protest at Diablo Canyon, California (2006).