In Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Jason Sexton, we delve into Kevin's attempt to understand the "California experience." Kevin Starr tried to chronicle California's history in a nuanced yet idealistic way, which connected him to earlier California historians such as Josiah Royce.

According to Jason, Starr was an open-minded, generous figure who sought to bring people together through his writings that celebrate ordinary Californians. His Catholic faith shaped this vision of California, and his honesty and empathy helped him grapple with darker aspects of the state's history, like the treatment of Native Americans. Along the way, Jason introduces us to Starr's major works, like Endangered Dreams and Embattled Dreams. These books show Starr's literary mastery in capturing California's depth and complexity—the awesome but conflicting stories that make California unique.

Learn more:

• Jason Sexton, Ph.D.
• Jason’s book Redemptive Dreams: Engaging Kevin Starr’s California
• Kevin Starr’s Books on Amazon.com

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This is the first part of a lively conversation with Dr. Jason Sexton, editor of a book on the renowned California historian Kevin Starr (1940-2017).

Sexton describes Starr as California’s most ambitious interpreter. Starr’s 8-volume history, spanning the state’s origins to the 2000s, is the most complete work on California in print.

Kevin Starr grew up in an orphanage and San Francisco’s housing projects. As a young man, he studied at the University of San Francisco before serving in the U.S. Army in Europe. He later went on to earn a doctorate at Harvard University and became a prolific newspaper columnist before dedicating himself to interpreting California history. Through his unique life experience, Starr developed an expansive perspective that embraced the character of both Northern and Southern California.

Jason Sexton, who grew up in the Central Valley town of Tracy, became fascinated by Starr’s vision after reading his works. As a theologian and sociologist, Sexton saw religious dimensions in Starr’s works that he believed needed to be explored. This motivated him to edit a volume that would examine, appreciate and even critique Starr’s approach to the state’s history.

The interview also covers Jason’s unconventional path to academia in the UK before returning to California and how he sees Starr as embodying the “redemptive dreams” of people making history in the fragmented Golden State.

Learn more:

• Jason Sexton, Ph.D.
• Jason’s book Redemptive Dreams: Engaging Kevin Starr’s California
• Kevin Starr’s Books on Amazon.com

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Give a one-time donation

Learn more about the California Frontier Project:

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Contact:
damian@californiafrontier.net

Imagine California today without any remnants of its Spanish and Mexican past. That almost happened until a group of determined women took action to preserve the state's Hispanic heritage. At the turn of the 20th century, the historic El Camino Real trail connecting the California missions was crumbling into disrepair and faced being lost forever.

Enter Anna Pitcher, a civic leader who launched an ambitious plan to designate and mark the ancient route for the automobile age. Joined by leading women's clubs like the General Federation of Women's Clubs, Pitcher and her successors spent decades advocating and physically marking El Camino Real with the now iconic bell markers.

Their efforts were not without opposition, as some saw the missions as odious symbols of colonialism. But the women persisted, mapping El Camino Real and installing bells from San Diego to Sonoma. Their pioneering work preserved an indelible touchstone of California's diverse origins that residents and visitors can still enjoy today.

Learn more:

• Book: California’s El Camino Real and its Historic Bells
• Book: California Vieja: Culture and Memory in a Modern American Place

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damian@californiafrontier.net