Across the Great Divide: Cultures of Manhood in the American West

From Custer and Geronimo to John Wayne and the Marlboro Man, American notions of masculinity have been deeply interwoven with our ideas about the West. But there's more to the relationship between manhood and the frontier than a simple tale of cowboys and Indians, ruggedness and civilization. InAcross the Great Divide,some of our leading historians look to both the history of masculinity in the West and to the ways that this experience has been represented in movies, popular music, dimestore novels, and folklore. Ramon Gutierrez (When JesusCame, the Corn Mothers Went Away) describes the culture of machismo in early New Mexico; Susan Lee Johnson (Roaring Camp) takes on social life in Gold Rush boom towns; and other contributors introduce us to cross-dressing cowboys, cuckolded husbands hell-bent on revenge, and convicted outlaws walking to the gallows, among other characters. Intriguing, provocative, and important,Across the Great Dividemakes us rethink easyassumptions about the nature of American masculinity.

Durwood Ball is associate professor of history the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque Matthew Basso is a Ph.D. candidate in the American studies program at the University of Minnesota David Anthony Tyeeme Clark (Mesquakie) is a graduate minority opportunity fellow in the American studies program at the University of Kansas Dee Garceau is assistant professor of history at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee Ramon A. Gutierrez is professor of ethnic studies and history at the University of California, San Diego Susan Lee Johnson teaches U.S. western history, gender/women's history, and the history of sexuality at the University of Colorado at Boulder Brian Klopotek, of Choctaw and Irish-American heritage, is a doctoral candidate in the American studies program at the University of Minnesota Craig Leavitt is an independent scholar and novelist who lives in Denver, Colorado Steven M. Lee is a graduate student in comparative ethnic studies at the University of California-Berkeley Karen J. Leong is assistant professor in the women's studies program at Arizona State University Jose E. Limon, professor of anthropology and English at the University of Texas-Austin Laura McCall is professor of history and member of the honors faculty at Metropolitan State College, Denver Karen R. Merrill is assistant professor of history at the University of California, Irvine Joane Nagel is University Distinguished Professor and chair of sociology at the University of Kansas Gunther Peck is associate professor of history at the University of Texas-Austin