Publisher Description

This book reveals how powerful undercurrents of sex, gender, and culture helped shape the history of the American frontier from the 1760s to the 1850s. Looking at California under three flags -- those of Spain, Mexico, and the United States -- Hurtado resurrects daily life in the missions, at mining camps, on overland trails and sea journeys, and in San Francisco. In these settings Hurtado explores courtship, marriage, reproduction, and family life as a way to understand how men and women -- whether Native American, Anglo American, Hispanic, Chinese, or of mixed blood -- fit into or reshaped the roles and identities set by their race and gender.

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Explores the role of sex and gender on California's multi-cultural frontier under the influences of Spain, Mexico, and the United States.

Author Biography

Albert L Hurtado

Review

." . . an important contribution to our understanding of the history of human sexuality within the context of a multicultural society . . . disturbing . . . provocative . . . Hurtado crafts a new dimension to the word 'frontier.'"
," . . a sensitive, thoughtful, and thought-provoking piece of scholarship that examines stories about people living in California . . . "Intimate Frontiers" is an important work . . . ."
""Intimate Frontiers" . . . does a masterful job of explaining in clear, jargon-free language, the theoretical keystones of contemporary gender scholarship. . . . Exceptional, sensational, and unrelentingly grim."
"A must-read for scholars of women and gender in the West and for Borderlanders. Albert L. Hurtado's "Intimate Frontiers" is a fast-paced yet dense study, filled with interesting anecdotes, memorable characters, and fascinating gender analysis. Its short length, simultaneously topical and chronological chapters, and interesting use of gender theory make it ideal for classroom use."
. . . a sensitive, thoughtful, and thought-provoking piece of scholarship that examines stories about people living in California . . . "Intimate Frontiers" is an important work . . . .
. . . an important contribution to our understanding of the history of human sexuality within the context of a multicultural society . . . disturbing . . . provocative . . . Hurtado crafts a new dimension to the word frontier.
"Intimate Frontiers" . . . does a masterful job of explaining in clear, jargon-free language, the theoretical keystones of contemporary gender scholarship. . . . Exceptional, sensational, and unrelentingly grim.
A must-read for scholars of women and gender in the West and for Borderlanders. Albert L. Hurtados "Intimate Frontiers" is a fast-paced yet dense study, filled with interesting anecdotes, memorable characters, and fascinating gender analysis. Its short length, simultaneously topical and chronological chapters, and interesting use of gender theory make it ideal for classroom use.

Review Quote

"Intimate Frontiers. . . does a masterful job of explaining in clear, jargon-free language, the theoretical keystones of contemporary gender scholarship. . . . Exceptional, sensational, and unrelentingly grim."

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