Religion and the American West
Belief, Violence, and Resilience from 1800 to Today
Edited by Jessica Lauren Nelson
Foreword by John Vanausdall
Published by: University of New Mexico Press
208 Pages, 7.50 x 10.00 in
Religion and the American West offers a lavishly illustrated and comprehensive overview of the ways religion has shaped the idea of the American West and how the region has influenced broader religious and racial categories. Starting when the concept of the "American West" emerged in the early nineteenth century and continuing through modern times, Religion and the American West explores the interplay between a wide range of American belief systems, from established world religions to new spiritual innovations.
A stunning selection of material and print culture illustrates the varied range of religious expressions across the history of the American West. Taken as a whole, the contributors challenge longstanding definitions of the American West and provide a new narrative that recenters our attention on the lived experiences of diverse peoples and communities. The book also serves as the companion publication for the New-York Historical Society's traveling exhibition "Acts of Faith." Religion and the American West is a story of vibrant innovation and tragic conflict, showcasing how historical actors and modern-day readers wrestle with the meaning of religious belief in the American West.
A stunning selection of material and print culture illustrates the varied range of religious expressions across the history of the American West. Taken as a whole, the contributors challenge longstanding definitions of the American West and provide a new narrative that recenters our attention on the lived experiences of diverse peoples and communities. The book also serves as the companion publication for the New-York Historical Society's traveling exhibition "Acts of Faith." Religion and the American West is a story of vibrant innovation and tragic conflict, showcasing how historical actors and modern-day readers wrestle with the meaning of religious belief in the American West.
Jessica Lauren Nelson is the Director of Religion and Cultural Initiatives at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art as well as a lecturer in history at Lake Forest College.
"Religion and the American West brings together the best scholarship on the subject with a dizzying array of material evidence in order to tell the story of a multicultural, multidimensional American West--reflecting the American West not as it is imagined, but as it was."--Brandi Denison, author of Ute Land Religion in the American West, 1879-2009
Foreword
John Vanausdall
Introduction
Jessica Lauren Nelson
Chapter One. Sacred Spaces: Religion, Land, and Identity in the Trans-Appalachian West (1800-1840)
Jessica Lauren Nelson
Chapter Two. Religion and Empire: Mythic Trails, Stolen Homelands, and Forced Migration in the Antebellum West (1840-1860)
Danae Jacobson
Chapter Three. Frontier Violence: Making Americans and the Myth of the West (1860-1890)
Konden Smith Hansen
Chapter Four. Religion Here and Now
Daisy Vargas
Conclusion. A Visual Epigraph
Jessica Lauren Nelson
Bibliography
Contributors
John Vanausdall
Introduction
Jessica Lauren Nelson
Chapter One. Sacred Spaces: Religion, Land, and Identity in the Trans-Appalachian West (1800-1840)
Jessica Lauren Nelson
Chapter Two. Religion and Empire: Mythic Trails, Stolen Homelands, and Forced Migration in the Antebellum West (1840-1860)
Danae Jacobson
Chapter Three. Frontier Violence: Making Americans and the Myth of the West (1860-1890)
Konden Smith Hansen
Chapter Four. Religion Here and Now
Daisy Vargas
Conclusion. A Visual Epigraph
Jessica Lauren Nelson
Bibliography
Contributors