Title: Patriot Games: Patriotism, National Identity, and the American Rodeo

Author: Kara McCormack

Primary advisor: Rachel Rubin

Secondary advisor: Judy Smith

Abstract

Patriot Games is a discussion of the interplay between images of the mythological American West and ideas of American patriotism and national identity, drawing on the practices and customs associated with the rodeo. It argues that the practices, customs, language and dress of the rodeo serve to reconfirm notions of "Americaness" that have been bound up with the imagined West and images of the cowboy since the 19th century - including ideas of American history, and the politics of gender and race. It also points to the ongoing struggle by Americans to negotiate the paradox of what the "West" is and what it is supposed to be, confirming that there is still some conflict between what is real and what is myth. Combining theoretical analysis with first-hand observation, the paper situates the rodeo today within a wider trend that attempts to define what it means to be a "true" American across changing political and social landscapes.

Who might be interested in reading this work?

Scholars of the American West, American mythology, popular culture, and general cultural studies would be interested in this project.