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Challenging the Myths and Fallacies of Texas History
SHERMAN, TEXAS - Texas historian and author Light T. Cummins has co-edited a collection of essays titled Texan Identities: Moving Beyond Myth, Memory and Fallacy in Texas History.” The book challenges the various identities of Texans and how those have been formed.
“It was our purpose with this book to ask the question, ‘what is a Texan?’” Cummins said. “Texans believe they are a unique people. They believe their state is historically unique. What is it that makes Texans Texans? Each of the essays in this book examines the identities of Texans.”
Cummins’ comments on Texas history and this book are featured on the syndicated radio program, “Texas Matters.” Airing recently on several public radio stations, the program also is available online at http://tpr.org/post/texas-matters-what-makes-texan.
“Texas identity is very complex because it involves both history and memory,” Cummins said. “Memory is what we all know generally about the past based on what we’ve been taught or seen. Whereas history is a documentary study.”
Modern studies by academic historians advance the identities of several overlooked people-groups from Texas history including women, Africans, Hispanics, and Jews. Essays in the book address specific examples of these groups’ significant impact on the Texas identity.
“We have a much more diverse history than the popular stereotypes indicate. This book hopes to help memory catch up with the facts of history,” Cummins said. “Our memory was a very fixed set of ideas that were continued in movies and on television. It was Anglo, southern, heroic, and male.”
Cummins explains that the Texas creation myth includes the idea that settlers took the land from Mexico and caused it to flourish. The myth assumes that it would have been a wasteland without the settlers. “Myths are memories on steroids,” he said. “They can be powerful and are significantly difficult to alter. This book aims to bring the memories and myths closer to the historical truth.”
The book, published by UNT Press, was released September 5 and is available for purchase. Other works by Cummins include Allie Victoria Tennant and the Visual Arts in Dallas, Emily Austin of Texas, and The Foundations of Texan Philanthropy. Cummins holds the Guy M. Bryan Jr. Chair of American History at Austin College, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1978.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.
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