Rodeo Cowboys In The North American Imagination (Shepperson Series in History Humanities) [Hardcover]

Michael Allen (Author)

Book Description

Series: Shepperson Series in History Humanities | Publication Date: September 1, 1998

An engaging exploration of one of the enduring relics of America's popular culture--the rodeo cowboy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The eternal struggle between the frontier and civilization is at the core of our national heritage, and that's what makes rodeo an important component in the creation of American popular culture. Allen, associate professor of history and American studies at the University of Washington, Tacoma, clearly explains our continuing interest in rodeo through his combined examination of its history and its cultural interpretation. Rodeos evolved from the curious townspeople who gathered to watch goings-on at the local ranches. As the plains cowboys began to disappear, the rodeo cowboy provided audiences with an image of the real thing. If the cowboys of old liked to drink, carouse and tear things up, today's rodeo is serious business; its participants are organized, sometimes even well paid and refer to themselves as professional athletes. Although movies (e.g., The Lusty Men, The Misfits, Hud) may have been the main entree into the national imagination, Allen notes that the prevalence of rodeo in the arts, literature and even ballet is not so far-fetched. The oral, storytelling tradition of the cowboy has translated well to art, and its folk traditions prevailed during the Vietnam era of counterculture. Allen gives thorough critiques of the books, films, artworks, music and other outgrowths of rodeo, and if he sometimes gets bogged down in detail, this is nonetheless a well-researched, heartfelt study of the roots of an American fascination. "There is no logical explanation for the rodeo-cowboy hero's behavior, nor is there an explanation for the respect and adulation he commands in a modern, high-tech North American society." His question, "Are rodeo cowboys real cowboys?" is moot, he concludes, because what they represent?the thrill of danger?is the real thing.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

In this broadly researched and accessible study, historian Michael Allen examines the image of the rodeo cowboy and the role this image has played in popular culture over the past century. Allen's provocative analysis explores the evolution of the myth of the rodeo man and its subsequent institutionalization and acculturation into the media of popular culture--movies and television, folklore and literature, country music, and the visual arts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: University of Nevada Press (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874173159
• ISBN-13: 978-0874173154
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,485,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #98 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Rodeos

More About the Author

Michael Allen, Professor of History at the University of Washington, Tacoma, was born and raised in Ellensburg, Washington. After serving with the U.S. Marines in Vietnam, he graduated with a BA, MA, and Ph.D. from Central Washington State College, University of Montana, and University of Washington. He has published five books and taught at Tennessee Tech, Deep Springs College, Eastern Montana College, and UW Tacoma. He lives in Ellensburg and Tacoma with his three children, Jim, Davy, and Caroline. Photo by Jill Carnell Danseco, ©2009, University of Washington Tacoma.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Let 'er buck!!, July 31, 2003

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Ronald Scheer "rockysquirrel" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rodeo Cowboys In The North American Imagination (Shepperson Series in History Humanities) (Hardcover)

Michael Allen is a folklorist and a rodeo fan. He's a Westerner, born and raised in Ellensburg in central Washington. When this book was published, he was on the faculty of the University of Washington -- probably still is. I say all this because his book is first of all an academic discussion of his subject. It's based on extensive reading and field research, and the analysis tackles a broad range of topics that comprise the discourse among a couple generations of folklorists who've focused on the culture of western Americana. In other words, while Allen clearly enjoys his subject, he's making arguments directed at fellow professionals who represent different points of view. Because of this, there's a steady flow of documentation, with plenty of footnotes. For the casual reader, all this may get a little heavy-going at times.

Allen covers many facets of his subject -- starting with the history of rodeo and looking at the rodeo cowboy as portrayed in movies and TV, folklore, literature, art, and country music. He also has a chapter on what he calls "rainbow rodeo riders" -- that is, minorities, such as Native Americans, African-Americans, women, gays and lesbians. There's also a glossary of rodeo cowboy lingo and a long annotated bibliography in the form of an essay.

Allen's argument rests on a couple of ideas that he acknowledges are debatable. The first is that "real cowboys" (as they existed over 100 years ago out on the unfenced Plains) are for the most part a thing of the past. Today, the role of the "real cowboy" is left to the rodeo cowboy, and (this is where I'd take exception) Allen pretty much ignores the host of working cowboys who still make a living on ranches in a dozen or more western states. But I'm not a folklorist, so that's just my nonprofessional opinion.

The other idea is that the rodeo cowboy represents a "contemporary ancestor" for modern-day Americans. He harks back to the American frontier of our imagination. In his risk-defiant, untamed, wandering, individualistic behavior, he represents what fans regard as essentially American in themselves. In other words, he's mythic -- he represents our deepest values and connects us with our past. These values are embraced by the Cowboy Code, which is an unwritten set of behavioral guidelines all men must aspire to if they are to be accepted into the elite fraternity of "real cowboys." Dating from cowboy culture as it took form in the 19th century, the Code survives today, apparently stronger than ever among the men who rodeo.

The irony is that Allen also reveals the dark side of the myth and the Code, for both thrive on a kind of extreme libertarianism that can be anti-social, intolerant, and misogynistic. While the cowboy with his six-gun "tamed" the West (in popular fiction and movies, at least), the archetypal cowboy is untamable himself. While that's part of his appeal (and there are popular outlaw cowboys aplenty, e.g., Billy the Kid), it also exposes the rodeo cowboy's unsavory side. Allen may not intend this, but this casts a shadow over his argument.

For all my reservations, I recommend this book. It's so full of ideas and ranges across more rodeo cowboy literature than I ever imagined existed. He's added several titles to my reading list. As companion volumes, I'd recommend Baxter Black's hilarious rodeo novel, "Hey, Cowboy, Wanna Get Lucky?" A great book of essays and rodeo photography can be found in Bob St. John's "On Down the Road," full of interviews with rodeo stars circa 1975. For a good recent rodeo movie, there's "Cowboy Up!" about bullriders. Let 'er buck!