High Desert Project-What does it mean to be an American in the West?

About this event

How do people in the American West define their relationship with the United States? What ideas around patriotism do we hold and how have these ideas shaped the American West? Through four events, we will explore the complexity of our relationship with this country and how it has changed over time.

Event #1: American Symbols in the West Wednesday, October 14, 5:30pm-8:30pm This behind-the-scenes tour of the collection at the Museum will spark discussion around the symbols we associate with being an American and what patriotism means to each of us. Dinner is provided.

Event #2: Patriotism & Indigenous Peoples Sunday, October 18, 5:30pm-8:30pm Join Professor Michael Holloman (Colville Confederated Tribes) for a conversation that delves into the complexities of patriotism from the perspectives of Indigenous people. Dinner is provided.

Event #3: Our Expectations of the United States Tuesday, October 27, 5:30pm-8:30pm Sarah Robey, Associate Professor of History at Idaho State University, will use the history of the atomic age to spark discussions around how our expectations of the federal government have changed over time and how these changes shape our understanding of what it means to be an American.

Event #4: Improvised Country: Imagining Other Wests Monday, November 9, 5:30-8:30pm

Katy Barber, Professor of History at Portland State University, will explore Manifest Destiny not as a chapter that closed but as a habit of mind we still carry. The West was made rather than destined, negotiated and improvised by people who could not know how it would turn out. The session asks what it takes to restore uncertainty to a story we tell as settled.

Interested in participating? Apply today!

We request that participants attend all four events. There is no cost to attend, but space is limited. If you are interested in learning more, please click on the link and fill out the participation form by Monday, September 28. Contact Jenny Braden at hdp@highdesertmuseum.org or 541.382.4754 x284