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Texas Matters: What Makes A Texan?

The Texas Identity – what do you think that might be? What does it mean to be “a Texan.” What is a Texas thing to do or say? Most people might think of a John Wayne cowboy type of character as the archetype of the Texas Identity. But has the image hit its expiration date. More Texans live in urban areas than in the country. And even then maybe more Texans today identify with Pedro Infante’s charro than with The Duke. 

A new book takes a look at the Texas identity with a series of historical essays that challenge the assumptions stories and myths about Texas. It’s titled “Texas Identities – Moving beyond Myth, Memory and Fallacy in Texas History.” It’s co-edited by Light T. Cummins, professor of history at Austin College.

David Martin Davies can be reached at dmdavies@tpr.org and on Twitter at @DavidMartinDavi