The idea for this collection arose out of a shared sentiment that there was still something quintessentially “Western Canadian” that distinguishes and separates living in this region from all other Canadian regions. What this distinctiveness is, the editors left as open as possible in soliciting the participation of numerous disciplines and approaches to the question of “the West” and being a “Westerner.”

This book lays out the variety of approaches and unique research initiatives, with a novel focus on small urban centres, rural education, regional representations and identities, theatre, literature and film, visual representations, and quality of life issues, allowing for multiple lines of inquiry and discussion involving other provincial and regional experiences.

The varied works within this collection cumulatively offer a unique panoramic understanding of Western themes. The eclecticism in subject matters, theory and approaches serves to enrich our understanding and appreciation of what “the West” has been and continues to be, the “Last Best West.”