Related PapersSouthwestern Historical QuarterlyTexas Women and Ranching: On the Range, at the Rodeo, and in Their Communities ed. by Deborah M. Liles, Cecilia Gutiérrez Venable2019 • Diana VelaView PDFRomancing the Masculine Family Farmers and Ranchers in Southern Alberta, Canada Paper Presented to the Western Social Sciences Association 50 th Annual Conference Grand Hyatt Hotel Denver, ColoradoLori BarkleyThe image of a lone man on horseback in an expansive vista is intoxicating. The transition from agriculture to oil, and the associated economic boom, means this vision is a viable reality for many urbanites in Southern Alberta. As they escape hectic city life to seek romantic notions of rural masculinity, perpetuated by governments, marketing campaigns, and the farmers and ranchers themselves, how far do the symbolic signifiers float free from the lived realities of farmers and ranchers? How are former urban dwellers, benefiting from the booming oil economy, yet desiring the romantic...
