My.EOU Portal Current Students Faculty/Staff
Apply Visit Request Info Give Now
LA GRANDE, Ore. – “Branding Their Own: Cowgirls, Rodeo, and Rural Feminism, 1890 – 1935” is a project that explores feminism in the rural American West with special attention to ranch women and rodeo cowgirls.
Dr. Tracey Hanshew, Assistant Professor of History at Eastern Oregon University will present for the next EOU Colloquium on March 14, 2024, from 4-5 p.m. in Ackerman Hall.
Competition in the rodeo arena from 1900 to 1935, provided opportunities for women to establish careers both as athletes and in contract performance. By doing so, women gained financial independence unique to that of many women working in other professions.
Rodeo, as the first professional sport for women in America and as a dangerous sport, was an important platform for women to dispel notions that had previously restricted opportunities for female athletes.
In analyzing the social norms of the period, and reactions to rodeo cowgirls who lived in this predominantly male world of extreme competition, Eastern Oregon University’s Dr. Tracey Hanshew argues during her colloquium that rodeo cowgirls stimulated change to greater social norms and that their contributions to feminist progress have largely been overlooked due to their rural status.
Hanshew makes the case that by extending ideals of certain gender impartialities found in rural areas of the West, specifically in working and ranching skills, and the ability to do “men’s work” yet remain feminine, cowgirls provided a foundation for feminist posterity by presenting themselves as equally competent to men athletically, and in their abilities to manage a successful career. Although these women did not self-identify as feminists, their actions aligned with feminists’ principles of equality and autonomy.
« From the President – February 14, 2024 | New Clinical Director at Eastern Oregon University Prioritizes Student Health »
EOU Opens Facilities to Support Evacuees LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon University (EOU) is opening its main campus to evacuees and those affected by area wildfires, including dry camping for RVs, WiFi, and access to the EOU Library, Hoke Union Building, the climbing wall, and the campus Food Pantry. “Our priority is to provide […]Read more
EOU Reading Literacy Program: A Catalyst for Academic Success La Grande, ORE. – Eastern Oregon University (EOU) has always been at the forefront of innovative education, and its continuing Reading Literacy program is no exception. Earlier this week, 26 trainees and 16 mentors gathered on the campus of Eastern Oregon University (EOU) in La Grande […]Read more
Governor Kotek Orders Flags Lowered in Memory of Former Senate President Peter Courtney Salem, OR — Today, Governor Tina Kotek ordered flags at Oregon public institutions to be flown at half-staff effective immediately until sunset on Thursday, July 18, in memory of the life and service of Peter Michael Coleman Courtney, the former President of […]Read more