Texan Identities: Moving beyond Myth, Memory, and Fallacy in Texas History

by Light Townsend Cummins (Editor), Mary L. Scheer (Editor)

Texan Identities rests on the assumption that Texas has distinctive identities that define “what it means to be Texan,” and that these identities flow from myth and memory. What constitutes a Texas identity and how may such change over time? What myths, memories, and fallacies contribute to making a Texas identity? Are all the myths and memories that define Texas identity true or are some of them fallacious? Is there more than one Texas identity?

The discussion begins with the idealized narrative and icons revolving around the Texas Revolution. The Texas Rangers in myth and memory are also explored. Other essays expand on traditional and increasingly outdated interpretations of the Anglo-American myth of Texas by considering little known roles played by women, racial minorities, and specific stereotypes such as the cattleman.
 

320 pages, Hardcover

Published August 22, 2016

Reviews

[Nina · Rating 1 out of 5]

A compendium of pieces written by alums of TSU San Marcos’ M.A. History program, originally featured at a 2015 symposium. With the exception of Stephen Hardin’s chapter on Alamo fallacies and maybe Jody Edward Ginn’s chapter on Texas Ranger mythology, the essays are unenlightening, poorly conceived, and poorly written.

The editors’ introduction to historiography research and the academic concepts of ‘myth’ and ‘memory’ is meandering and unnecessarily obtuse - they can’t seem to decide who their audience is. The chapter on womens’ rights and the Texas Constitution doesn’t have more than a paragraph-worth of actual content. The piece on the Delgado vs. Bastrop civil rights case kept grasping for a point that would differentiate it from a Wikipedia entry; the one on W.W. Jones evoked the obsequious boosterism of a small town tourism pamphlet. Jody Edward Ginn totally missed the point when he started quibbling that early 1900s racist borderlands brutality couldn’t be blamed on the Texas Rangers because it might have been committed by other Anglo lawmen. Le sigh. What truly took my breath away was that the argument of Kay Goldman’s chapter is founded on embarrassingly uninformed assumptions about Jewish life in mid-1800s urban Germany. Which, okay, is a rather esoteric subject... but presumably not for someone who did her PhD on Texas’ German Jewish immigrant community.

And oh the copyediting. On a single page, Sam Burnett’s last name is blessed with two different spellings. W.W. Jones’ ranch is declared one of the State’s “most historic,” whatever that means. The use of commas is creatively unorthodox. And if I had been taking shots every time the word “furthermore” was used, I wouldn’t be safe to drive.

In a word, sloppy.

[Ann Valdez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The light on the Alamo, Delgado vs. Bastrop, etc. was great. I was disappointed in the Texas Rangers section. It could have been more revealing about the other side of their reputation.

[RTB: Review of Texas Books]

by Cristina Rios

This collaborative compendium of essays written by academic historians explores the meaning of being a Texan. The seven essays included in the volume are approached as case studies and cover a variety of historical issues as they seek to portray multiple facets of the Texan identity. Myths, memories, and fallacies in the historical topics analyzed are the main threads that unify the volume.

The first essay discusses myths and misconceptions ingrained in the popular memories about the Alamo and how the collective memory has influence the Texan identity. The many myths surrounding the historiography of the Texas Rangers are explored in another essay in which the author deliberates how the popular media has interwoven fact with fiction. The inclusion of a photograph of actor Tom Mix with a group of Texas Rangers exemplifies how radio and film have had an effect on the collective memory.

Unknown facets of individuals are revealed in two interesting essays - one focused on the role of a San Antonio woman as an art patron and another about the contributions of a Texas rancher to the development of Corpus Christi.

An additional slice of the multicultural reality of the Texas identity is reflected in an essay about the experiences and social activities of German-Jewish immigrants who settled in Texas in the nineteenth century. Contrary to accepted myths, these immigrants found Texas a very hospitable place to live. They were able to keep their cultural heritage, participate in social clubs, and interact with the larger German and non-German community. German private academies were founded in several cities and the curriculum supported the maintenance of the German language and culture.

Readers may find especially interesting the essays dealing with civil rights and identity, which address matters not often present in the collective memory. Mary L. Scheer, chair of the history department at Lamar University, analyzes the legal provisions of the Texas Constitution of 1836 regarding the rights of women. Her research indicates that the gender-neutral language used by the founders of the Republic actually provided women with certain political rights and privileges. The final essay is about civil rights of Mexican Americans and segregation in education. The Delgado v. Bastrom (1948) case demonstrates the Mexican-American efforts for school desegregation and the participation of these Texans in the civil rights struggles.

This volume is an excellent resource for courses dealing with cultural identity, school law, or Texas history; highly recommended for university libraries.

[Joe Montemayor · Rating 4 out of 5]

These pages give insight to the reasons why Texas history has been written it the current style. I found answers to questions about the lack of Tejano, African American, women and Texas indigos people in Texas history.