History Professor Honored by Western History Association

The award recognizes the quality of Tejani’s article 
as well as his contribution to the study of U. S. history.

Cal Poly history Professor James Tejani was awarded the 2014 Ray Allen Billington Prize by the Western History Association (WHA) for his article “Dredging the Future: The Destruction of Coastal Estuaries and the Creation of Metropolitan Los Angeles, 1858-1913.”

The Billington Prize is awarded annually to the best essay published outside the WHA’s own journal, the Western Historical Quarterly. The essay must be on the history of the North American West and must possess literary quality, contribute to the discipline, and show skill and imagination.

Tejani’s essay explores the interaction between technology, ideas and the environment that spurred the creation of modern-day Southern California. His essay provides another lens from which to look at the area’s development, alongside previously explored social and cultural perspectives.

The award recognizes the quality of Tejani’s article as well as his contribution to the study of U. S. history.

The article was originally published in the spring 2014 issue of the Southern California Quarterly.

Tejani has been teaching at Cal Poly since 2009. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from UC San Diego in 1998 and a doctorate in history from Columbia University in 2009.