Patricia Nelson Limerick
Encyclopedia
Patricia Nelson Limerick (born May 17, 1951) is an American
historian
, considered to be one of the leading historians of the American West. She was born and raised in Banning, California
.
Limerick received a B.A. in American Studies
in 1972 from the University of California, Santa Cruz
, and a Ph.D. in American Studies in 1980 from Yale University
. She worked at Harvard University
as an Assistant Professor from 1980 to 1984. Previously she taught at Yale as a graduate teaching assistant, where she helped teach the highly-regarded 'daily themes' class. Since then Limerick has been at the University of Colorado at Boulder
, where she is Professor of History and chair of the Board of the Center of the American West.
Limerick is a former president of the American Studies Association (1996-1997) and the Western History Association
(2000). She is known for her 1987 book The Legacy of Conquest, which is part of a body of historical writing sometimes known as the New Western History
. In 1995, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.
Her essay on the Modoc War
, titled "Haunted America" appears in the collection "Ways of Reading," a textbook widely used by undergraduate English students. She also co-edited a collection of essays, titled "Trails: Toward a New Western History," which relate to her famous 1989 Trails Through Time exhibit.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, considered to be one of the leading historians of the American West. She was born and raised in Banning, California
Banning, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Banning had a population of 29,603. The population density was 1,281.6 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Banning was 19,164 White, 2,165 African American, 641 Native American, 1,549 Asian, 39 Pacific Islander, 4,604 from other...
.
Limerick received a B.A. in American Studies
American studies
American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the United States. It traditionally incorporates the study of history, literature, and critical theory, but also includes fields as diverse as law, art, the media, film, religious studies, urban...
in 1972 from the University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
, and a Ph.D. in American Studies in 1980 from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. She worked at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
as an Assistant Professor from 1980 to 1984. Previously she taught at Yale as a graduate teaching assistant, where she helped teach the highly-regarded 'daily themes' class. Since then Limerick has been at the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, where she is Professor of History and chair of the Board of the Center of the American West.
Limerick is a former president of the American Studies Association (1996-1997) and the Western History Association
Western History Association
The Western History Association was organized in 1961 at Santa Fe, New Mexico, to "promote the study of the North American West in its varied aspects and broadest sense." Included in the field of study are the American West and western Canada. The Western History Association is headquartered at...
(2000). She is known for her 1987 book The Legacy of Conquest, which is part of a body of historical writing sometimes known as the New Western History
New Western History
The "new western history" movement emerged among professional historians in the 1980s, a belated manifestation of the 1970s "new social history" movement. The new western historians recast the study of American frontier history by focusing on race, class, gender, and environment in the...
. In 1995, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.
Her essay on the Modoc War
Modoc War
The Modoc War, or Modoc Campaign , was an armed conflict between the Native American Modoc tribe and the United States Army in southern Oregon and northern California from 1872–1873. The Modoc War was the last of the Indian Wars to occur in California or Oregon...
, titled "Haunted America" appears in the collection "Ways of Reading," a textbook widely used by undergraduate English students. She also co-edited a collection of essays, titled "Trails: Toward a New Western History," which relate to her famous 1989 Trails Through Time exhibit.
Works
- Desert Passages: Encounters with the American Deserts. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1985. ISBN 9780826308085 (1985 paperback).
- The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1987. ISBN 0-393-30497-3 (1988 paperback).
- Something in the Soil: Legacies and Reckonings in the New West. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000. ISBN 0-393-32102-9 (2001 paperback).