A Wilder West: Rodeo in Western Canada

Description

A controversial sport| rodeo is often seen as emblematic of the West’s reputation as a “white man’s country.” “A Wilder West” complicates this view| showing how rodeo has been an important contact zone – a chaotic and unpredictable place of encounter that challenged expected social hierarchies. Rodeo has brought people together across racial and gender divides| creating friendships| rivalries| and unexpected intimacies. Fans made hometown cowboys| cowgirls| and Aboriginal riders local heroes. Lavishly illustrated and based on cowboy / cowgirl biographies and memoirs| press coverage| archival records| and dozens of interviews with former and current rodeo contestants| promoters| and audience members| this creative history returns to rodeo’s small-town roots to shed light on the history of social relations in Canada’s western frontier.