Over the Edge: Remapping the American West

Rating:
Summary: A provacative volume; redraws boundaries of American West!
Review: Vicki L. Ruiz, Arizona State University Professor and Award winning historian, had this to say about OVER THE EDGE: "This anthology represents the state of the art in scholarship on the U.S. West and charts new paths for western historians involving cultural studies, feminist theory, and even legal criticism. It problematizes the entire field of western history by challenging our notions of what subjects, materials, and themes qualify as 'western' and especially by showcasing the power of cultural studies in illuminating the many strands of western life. OVER THE EDGE is an exceptional contribution to western studies, one which reflects the theoretical energy of an evolving discourse." I AGREE!!! From the Gold Rush to rush hour, the history of the American West is fraught with diverse, subversive, and at times downright eccentric elements. This provacative volume challenges traditional readings of western history and literature, and redraws the boundaries of the American West with absorbing essays ranging widely on topics from tourism to immigration, from environmental battles to interethnic relations, and from law to film. Taken together, the essays reassess the contributions of a diverse and multicultural America to the West, as they link western issues to global frontiers. Featuring the latest work by some of the best new writers both inside and outside academia, the original essays in OVER THE EDGE confront the traditional field of western American studies with a series of radical, speculative, and sometimes outrageous challenges. The collection reads the West through BEN-HUR and the films of MAE WEST; revises the western American literary canon to include the works of African American and Mexican American writers; examines the implications of miscegenation law and American Indian blood quantum requirements; and brings attention to the historical participation of Mexican and Japanese American women, Native American slaves, and Alaskan cannery workers in community life. Valerie J. Matsumoto is Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies at UCLA; Blake Allmendinger is Professor of American Literature at UCLA. Definitely a ***** 5-STAR ***** adventure!