The cowboy is a symbol of nationalistic masculine identity in America, but what is the true history of these frontier legends, and how has the western genre misrepresented them? This is part one of a two part discussion on the expression of marginalized identities on the frontier. Part two out June 26th.

Concepts:

• Gender and sexuality
• The usable past
• Periphery as space for difference

Sources:

Widdowson, Oryan. n.d. “A Deep Voice: How Newspapers Talk About Harry Allen, 1900 - 1923.”

Barbash, Fred. 2021. “‘He Paid a Dear Price for It’: The 19th-Century Ordeal of One of America’s First Transgender Men.” Washington Post, October 25, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/09/08/he-paid-a-dear-price-for-it-the-19th-century-story-of-one-of-americas-first-transgender-men/.

“Out West: The Queer Sexuality of the American Cowboy and His Cultural Significance.” n.d. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.brandeis.edu/writing-program/write-now/2021-2022/miller-hana/index.html.

Colonization is an ongoing process that is still happening today. This episode examines how this process unfolds and why those who resist it choose to do so by examining a classic western, a Supernatural episode, and the lore of Lord Huron.

Concepts:

Waves of colonization

Resistance to colonization

Ruralmisia

Sources:

Turner's Thesis PDF:

https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/Turner%20Thesis%2C%20Frederick%20Jackson%20Turner.pdf

The World Ender music video:

https://youtu.be/-TGld4a5Mb4?si=LegtDh7MLfv4nEx0

The World Ender comic:

https://archive.org/details/lord-huron-strange-trails-7

This episode examines how national identity in the United States has been created through colonization by looking at the symbology of the film She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

Concepts:

• National identity
• Othering
• The usable past
• Dog motifs

Sources:

Hixson, Walter L. The Myth of American Diplomacy: National Identity and U.S. Foreign Policy. Sheridan Books. 2008.

Turner, Frederick Jackson, 1861-1932. The Significance of the Frontier in American History.

Grandin, Greg. The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America. Metropolitan Books. 2019.

Beltran, Cristina. Cruelty as Citizenship: How Migrant Suffering Sustains White Democracy. University of Minnesota Press. 2020.