 | Outriders: Rodeo at the Fringes of the American West Subjects: Rodeos -- Social aspects -- West (U.S.) -- History -- 20th century; Rodeo performers -- West (U.S.) -- History -- 20th century; Cowboys -- West (U.S.) -- History -- 20th century; Cowgirls -- West (U.S.) -- History -- 20th century; Minorities -- West (U.S.; Rodeo is a dangerous and painful performance in which only the strongest and most skilled riders succeed. In the popular imagination, the western rodeo hero is often a stoic white man who embodies the toughness and independence of America's frontier past. However, marginalized people have starred in rodeos since the very beginning. Cast out of popular western mythology and pushed to the fringes in everyday life, these cowboys and cowgirls found belonging and meaning at the rodeo, staking a claim to national inclusion. Rebecca Scofield is assistant professor of American history at the University of Idaho. |
