Rodeo as Refuge, Rodeo as Rebellion: Gender, Race, and Identity in the American Rodeo

Elyssa Ford's book "Rodeo as Refuge, Rodeo as Rebellion" explores how people from marginalized groups make rodeo their own, challenging the idealized and mythical West. It shows that rodeo can be a form of escape, rebellion, or identity celebration, and highlights the traditional masculinity of the rodeo.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2020
Publisher: University Press of Kansas

From the Wild West shows of the nineteenth century to the popular movie Westerns of the twentieth century, one view of an idealized and mythical West has been promulgated. Elyssa Ford suggests that we look beyond these cowboy clichés to complicate and enrich our picture of the American West.

"Rodeo as Refuge, Rodeo as Rebellion" takes us from the beachfront rodeo arenas in Hawaii to the reservation rodeos held by Native Americans to reveal how people largely missing from that stereotypical picture make rodeo--and America--their own. Because rodeo has such a hold on our historical and cultural imagination, it becomes an ideal arena for establishing historical and cultural relevance. By claiming a place in that arena, groups rarely included in our understanding of the West--African Americans, Native Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Hawaiians, and the LGBT community--emphasize their involvement in the American past and proclaim their right to an American identity today. In doing so, these groups change what Americans know about their history and themselves. In her journey through these race- and group-specific rodeos, Ford finds that some see rodeo as a form of escape, a refuge from a hostile outside world. For others, rodeo has become a site of rebellion, a place to proclaim their difference and to connect to a different story of America. Still others, like Mexican Americans and the LGBT community, look inward, using rodeo to coalesce and celebrate their own identities.

In Ford's study of these historically marginalized groups, she also examines where women fit in race- and group-specific rodeos--and concludes that even within these groups, the traditional masculinity of the rodeo continues to be promoted. Female competitors may find refuge within alternate rodeos based on their gender or sexual orientation.

In conclusion, "Rodeo as Refuge, Rodeo as Rebellion" offers a fresh perspective on the American West, challenging us to look beyond the traditional cowboy clichés and recognize the diverse and complex ways in which people have made rodeo--and America--their own. By exploring the historical and cultural significance of rodeo, Ford highlights the importance of recognizing and celebrating the contributions of historically marginalized groups, such as African Americans, Native Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Hawaiians, and the LGBT community, to the American past and present.

Weight: 422g
Dimension: 154 x 234 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780700630318