Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected], and Christine Brown, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - The latest installment of a West Texas A&M University-sponsored scholarly book series finds new insights in a well-worn cowboy ballad.

"The Streets of Laredo: Texas Modernity and Its Discontents" by José E. Limón was released Jan. 6 by the Texas A&M University Press as part of its "American Wests" series, sponsored by WT through its Center for the Study of the American West.

Arguing that the well-known cowboy ballad "The Streets of Laredo" is an early expression of "discontent with an encroaching modernity," Limón draws upon ethnomusicology, folklore, history, contemporary literature and other sources to provide a deeply contextualized analysis of the song.

He explores its place in the imaginative construction of the American West and its role in the interpretation of both Anglo-American and Mexican American identity in the Texas borderlands and beyond.

With the ballad as his point of departure, Limón takes readers on a tour that includes formative experiences from his childhood in Laredo and Corpus Christi; examination of the works of Américo Paredes, Larry McMurtry, and others; and considerations of American popular music, cinema, baseball, and associated socio-cultural phenomena. The result is a complex and intriguing view of Texas and American culture as seen through the lens of a "simple" cowboy song.

"José's book covers the kind of topic that I really love because it's so interdisciplinary," said Dr. Alex Hunt, CSAW director, Regents Professor of English and Vincent-Haley Professor of Western Studies. "He starts with the songs and its origins, which go back to Ireland, and goes all the way through a series of films and books where 'Streets of Laredo' plays an important role, ending up with Larry McMurtry and his own book by that name, part of his 'Lonesome Dove' series.

"What José is arguing is that this shown shows us that, even from the beginning, cowboys had an ambivalence about their place between tradition and modernity," continued Hunt, who wrote the foreword for Limón's book. "The cowboy can see his own obsolescence from the beginning."

Limón previously spoke on "The Streets of Laredo" at a Distinguished Lecture Series event at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in 2019 and, via Zoom, in a lecture for CSAW in 2021.

The "American Wests" series was launched under Dr. Bonney MacDonald, WT professor of English, and includes both books of art and history, including "Making a Hand: The Art of H.D. Bugbee" by Michael R. Grauer; "Three Women Artists: Expanding Abstract Expressionism in the American West" by Amy Von Lintel and Bonnie Roos; "Heaven's Harsh Tableland: A New History of the Llano Estacado" by Paul H. Carlson; and "Georgia O'Keeffe's Wartime Texas Letters" by Von Lintel; among others.

Limón is the endowed professor of American literature emeritus at the University of Notre Dame, where he previously served as director of the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of "Américo Paredes: Culture and Critique," "American Encounters: Greater Mexico, the United States, and the Erotics of Culture," and other books. He makes his home in the Long Beach, California, area.

Promoting regional research is a key aim of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign's new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About the Center for the Study of the American West

CSAW was formed in fall 2016 with a mission of fostering the study of the American West at West Texas A&M University and building bridges between the university, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and the regional populace. CSAW seeks to promote the American West both as a culturally unique region and as a product of broad historical forces. For more information about CSAW and upcoming events, visit wtamu.edu/csaw.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest's finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men's and women's athletics programs.

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