The Culture of Oklahoma

Why do Oklahomans have such a strong sense of identity as Oklahomans, and how did they come by it? This book describes how Oklahomans perceive themselves and how others outside the state view them. in delineating the boundaries and content of what is distinctively Oklahoman, this book establishes Oklahoma as a bona fide cultural state of mind. It shows how a geographic region can possess its own distinctive meaning system, one that simultaneously contributes to and is. Mirrored in the larger national image. Contributors to this volume trace and interpret many pieces of the Oklahoman identity. After the foreword and the editors' introduction, Gary L. Thompson describes the geographical stage upon which that identity is played out; Howard R. Lamar explores Oklahoma's origin myths; James M. Smallwood and Crispin A. Phillips describe the history of blacks in Oklahoma; Donald N. Brown examines three of Oklahoma's ethnic groups; Robert F. Hill, Glenn W. Solomon, Jane K. Tiger, and J. Dennis Fortenberry analyze the health behaviors of rural adolescents, including Native Americans; Charles W. Nuckolls discusses the lives of people who personify the Oklahoma identity; J. Neil Henderson inve