Green Voters, Gun Voters: Hunting and Politics in Modern America

Author

Randall Williams, The University of Montana

Year of Award

2015

Document Type

Dissertation - Campus Access Only

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

History

Department or School/College

Department of History

Committee Chair

Dan L. Flores

Commitee Members

Kyle G. Volk, Robert H. Greene, Len Broberg, Sara Dant, Christopher L. Pastore

Publisher

The University of Montana

Abstract

This project explores the changing meaning of hunting in American political and cultural life from 1945 to the present by mapping the evolution of the ideas, vocabulary, and values legible on the pages of nationally circulated outdoor magazines. These sources suggest that huntingÆs public significance transformed in both character and intensity over the second half of the twentieth century. In the immediate postwar decades, the political culture forged and propagated in these magazines reflected a faith in government, in collective engagement, and in public life. However, in the 1970s, the ideas and principles articulated by many hunters and outdoor writers increasingly privileged individual rights, questioned the utility of state action, and defended private prerogatives. Concurrently, the degree to which hunting gave shape to the identity of American sportsmen heightened dramatically during this pivotal decade.

Recommended Citation

Williams, Randall, "Green Voters, Gun Voters: Hunting and Politics in Modern America" (2015). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 4613.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/4613