The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 105, July 2001 - April, 2002 Page: 379
741 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Book Reviews
contemporary sources. Those sources lead the field of black Texas history into
the new millennium.
Importantly, the bibliography reveals the eras, topics, and personalities that
have attracted the most attention among researchers-but it does much more. A
good detective can study the bibliography and discern what eras and/or topics
that still need further research. For example, black history in the modern era,
circa 1980 to the present, begs for more research, for more study.
With its existence, the bibliography reinforces the current view that Texas his-
tory must be inclusive, must stress the pluralism of the state. No longer will
White Anglo-centric interpretations of Texas history suffice. Whites, blacks, His-
panics, Native Americans, and Asians-all deserve their place in the mosaic of
Texas history. The Glasrud and Champion bibliography underscores that fact.
Oklahoma State University James Smallwood
Women and the Creation of Urban Life: Dallas, Texas, z843-192o. By Elizabeth York
Enstam. (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1998. Pp. xx+283.
List of illustrations, tables, acknowledgments, introduction, conclusion,
notes, bibliography, index. ISBN o-89096-799-7. $39.95, cloth.)
Elizabeth York Enstam's Women and the Creation of Urban Life chronicles the
profound, though often overlooked, contributions of women in establishing Dal-
las as a frontier town and transforming it into a functional city. The text is divid-
ed into two main sections, the first of which focuses on women's roles in
establishing the urban frontier. Here Enstam concentrates on the far-reaching
impact of women's work on the pioneer economy. By meticulously detailing the
development from preindustrial economy to young commercial city, Enstam re-
moves any misconception that women's work was limited solely to the domestic
sphere and concretely establishes their importance in the urban frontier econo-
my.
The first half of the text is set within the broader context of the development
of the city and how women fit into the larger panorama. Having established
women as integral components of the city's founding, Enstam spends the second
half of the text examining the role women played establishing Dallas as a mod-
ern city. The creation of the Dallas Public Library and the Dallas Museum of Art
provide the catalyst for Enstam to explore women's roles in developing social in-
stitutions and particularly their use of social clubs as vehicles into the political
sphere.
Enstam has done extensive research and Women and the Creation of Urban Life
exhausts the available primary-source documents. Enstam is a clear and concise
writer whose text delicately combines quantified data with biographic sketches
to provide a balanced view of the women in Dallas's history and their lasting im-
pact on the city. Contained within each chapter is a continuing discussion of the
changing legal status of women, specifically in reference to property rights. The
work focuses primarily on the influence of Anglo-European Americans. Enstam
atttributes this to two factors: the lack of source material pertaining to African
American and Hispanic women, and the predominance of Anglo-European
trends that defined the city during the time period she is addressing. That said,379
2001
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 105, July 2001 - April, 2002, periodical, 2002; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101222/m1/409/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.