"Surrender up to me the premises now occupied": representations of migrant ecologies in works from the dust bowl

Abstract

This thesis examines the role of representation of Okie migrants through photography, literature, and film during the Dust Bowl era. Okies were faced with discrimination as they traveled and once they reached California. The stereotypes of Oklahoma migrants became more real to outside populations than who the migrants were in reality. Through image studies and ecofeminist analysis of Dorothea Lange’s FSA photography, novels written by John Steinbeck and Sanora Babb, and John Ford’s film adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath, this research demonstrates that popular culture and government representation of Okies helped to fight the stereotypes placed on migrant groups. It argues for more positive representation of Okies in public spaces. The photos, novels, and film were created through intentional engagement with migrants, allowing Okies to have advocacy for shaping their representations in popular culture and government spheres.