The We in West

Abstract

Stephen Aron is professor of history and Robert N. Burr Department Chair at UCLA. He thanks John Gray for teaching him that we have no alternative but to make history matter more to more people, Virginia Scharff for turning Los Angeles traffic jams into productive thought incubators, and Paul Aron, Anne Hyde, and Elaine Nelson for much valued comments on a draft of this address. He is also indebted to the Autry Museum, Binghamton University, Brigham Young University, the California Club, Claremont Graduate University, the Gilcrease Museum, the Huntington Library, Louisiana State University, Pomona College, St. John’s University, Skidmore College, UCLA, the University of Connecticut, the Université de Paris 1, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Missouri, St. Louis, the University of New Mexico, the University of North Dakota, and Yale University for providing him with forums to present and discuss the issues and ideas that inform this essay.