John Walton
Western Times and Water Wars
State, Culture, and Rebellion in California
$24.95, £16.95 paperback
9780520084537
Available Now
360 pages,
October 1991, Available worldwide
October 1991, Available worldwide
Western Times and Water Wars chronicles more than a hundred years of tumultuous events in the history of California's Owens Valley. From the pioneer conquest of the native inhabitants to the infamous destruction of the valley's agrarian economy by water-hungry Los Angeles, this legendary setting is a microcosm of the development of the American West.
"One of the half-dozen most important works in historical sociology by an American scholar. . . . A landmark book."—Virginia Quarterly Review
"One of the most provocative and rewarding recent works about social movements and collective action in the United States. . . . A fascinating story of the American West; Western Times and Water Wars deserves high praise."—David Plotke,Contemporary Sociology
"One of the most provocative and rewarding recent works about social movements and collective action in the United States. . . . A fascinating story of the American West; Western Times and Water Wars deserves high praise."—David Plotke,Contemporary Sociology
"Walton first uses his magnifying glass to capture images of struggle in a California valley during a century and a half of transformation, then inverts it to scrutinize the American state, popular politics, and collective action in general. The maneuver is bold, the outcome stimulating."—Charles Tilly, New School for Social Research
"A passionate and first rate historical adventure. The plot is as intricate, fascinating, and full of intrigue and detail as a Dickens or a Tolstoy novel."—John Nichols, author of The Milagro Beanfield War
"A passionate and first rate historical adventure. The plot is as intricate, fascinating, and full of intrigue and detail as a Dickens or a Tolstoy novel."—John Nichols, author of The Milagro Beanfield War
Preface
1. Introduction
2. Conquest and Incorporation
3. Pioneer Economy and Social Structure
4. Frontier Civil Society
5. Rebellion
6. The Local World Transformed
7. The Environmental Movement
8. State, Culture, and Collective Action
1. Introduction
2. Conquest and Incorporation
3. Pioneer Economy and Social Structure
4. Frontier Civil Society
5. Rebellion
6. The Local World Transformed
7. The Environmental Movement
8. State, Culture, and Collective Action
Winner of the Robert Park Award of the American Sociological Association
Winner of the J.S. Holliday Award of the California Historical Society
Winner of the J.S. Holliday Award of the California Historical Society
California & Western History Bestsellers
