Westward Bound debunks the myth of Canada’s peaceful West and the masculine conceptions of law and violence upon which it rests by shifting the focus from Mounties and whisky traders to criminal cases involving women between 1886 and 1940. Erickson’s analysis of these cases shows that, rather than a desire to protect, official responses to the most intimate or violent acts betrayed an impulse to shore up the liberal order by maintaining boundaries between men and women, Native people and newcomers, and capital and labour. Victims and accused could only hope to harness entrenched ideas about masculinity, femininity, race, and class in their favour. This fascinating exploration of hegemony and resistance in key contact zones draws prairie Canada into larger debates about law, colonialism, and nation building.

Lesley Erickson holds a doctorate in history from the University of Calgary. Her research interests include women’s and gender history, western Canadian history, and the history of crime and punishment.

Lesley Erickson's profile page

• Commended, Canadian Law & Society Association Book Prize

This exploration of hegemony and resistance debunks the myth of Canada's peaceful settlement of the West.

Prairie Books Now, No. 59, Summer 2012

Fascinating ... Erickson’s substantive incorporation of elements beyond the text, including courthouse architecture, prairie visual culture, and police photography, also enliven her discussion of legal and sociocultural developments ... scholars of western Canadian legal, sex-trade, and cultural history will find this book a valuable and engaging addition to both teaching and research.

Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History, Vol. 13 No. 3, Winter 2012