Contested Boundaries: A New Pacific Northwest History

Contested Boundaries: A New Pacific Northwest History is an engaging, contemporary look at the themes, events, and people that have shaped the history of the Pacific Northwest over the last two centuries.

Bringing together the best features of a reader and a traditional textbook, this work features 12 stand–alone essays that thematically capture the essential narratives of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, with features like timelines, illustrations, and sidebars that provide scholarly context.

Centered on the concept of exclusion, Contested Boundaries: A New Pacific Northwest History introduces the region s many different inhabitants past and present from Native Americans and women to Asian Americans and Hispanic peoples, and details the political, economic, and social barriers they encountered. It includes well–balanced, inclusive, up–to–date coverage of a variety of important issues for the region, including the environment, gender, ethnicity, and culture. A companion website for students and instructors includes test banks, PowerPoint presentations, student self–assessment tests, useful primary documents, and resource links. 

Written by two professors with over 20 years of teaching experience, this work introduces the history of the Pacific Northwest in a style that is accessible, relevant, and meaningful for anyone wishing to learn more about the region s history.

David Jepsen is a former journalist and corporate marketing professional who has been writing professionally for 40 years. He holds a BA in Communications and a MA in History from the University of Washington. Since 2007, he has taught at Pierce College, the University of Washington Tacoma, and Tacoma Community College, where he is currently a member of the adjunct faculty, teaching both U.S. and Pacific Northwest history. His many writing awards include Honorable Mention for the 2006 Oregon Historical Society Joe Palmer Award for the article Old–Fashioned Revival: Religion, Migration and a New Identity for Pacific Northwest at Mid–Twentieth Century (2006).

David Norberg has taught Pacific Northwest history in Washington for nearly 14 years and currently is a full–time member of the history faculty and chair of the Social Sciences Division at Green River Community College, in Auburn, Washington.  He holds a BA in History from the University of Washington and a MA in History from Western Washington University. His article, The Ku Klux Klan in the Valley, a 1920s Phenomenon, published by the White River Valley Museum, shed new light on the conservative backlash in the region following World War I.