ABSTRACT

The World of the American West is an innovative collection of original essays that brings the world of the American West to life, and conveys the distinctiveness of this diverse, constantly changing region. Twenty scholars incorporate the freshest research in the field to take the history of the American West out of its timeworn "Cowboys and Indians" stereotype right up into the major issues being discussed today, from water rights to the presence of the defense industry. Other topics covered in this heavily illustrated, highly accessible volume include the effects of leisure and tourism, western women, politics and politicians, Native Americans in the twentieth century, and of course, oil.

With insight both informative and unexpected, The World of the American West offers perspectives on the latest developments affecting the modern American West, providing essential reading for all scholars and students of the field so that they may better understand the vibrant history of this globally significant, ever-evolving region of North America.

chapter |23 pages

Hosts and Horses

Envirocultural Effects of Contact in the Amerindian West

chapter |41 pages

Continued Exploration of the American West

The Fur Trade, Map Makers, Path Markers

chapter |18 pages

The “Earlier, Wilder Image”

Early Artists of the American West

chapter |33 pages

California Transformed

Organizing a New Society, 1848–1869

chapter |41 pages

The Urbanization of the American West

The Processes and People in the Rise of Instant Cities and Their Evolution into the Twenty-First Century

chapter |46 pages

The Hydraulic West

The History of Irrigation

chapter |31 pages

Learning in the west

Western Women and the Culture of Education

chapter |34 pages

Leadership or Dominance

The Role of the Western US Economy in the World