“The Hard Work is Done in the Looking”: Analyzing Representations of and Responses to Appalachia in Popular Culture

<p>For many Americans, the concept of Appalachia as a singular place has been created through images in popular culture, often stereotypical. This thesis presents an evolution of Appalachian representations—or, more appropriately, a chronology of images in stasis, as they seem to have remained fairly unchanged over time. Responses to those images, however, have changed greatly. Most importantly, responses from within Appalachia have transformed, with regional people gaining power over the types of images of the region in popular culture. There is, however, a paradoxical dualism in the responses from within the region, as some Appalachians grow weary of being stereotyped on the screen while others welcome clichés as commercial opportunities. This thesis will shed some light on not only the history of visual representations of Appalachia but also on their future.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A. in Southern Studies

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Southern Studies

Year dc:date.available

2015

Author dc:creator

• Trollinger, Elizabeth Rose Barnes

Contributors dc:contributor

• Andy Harper
• David Wharton
• Jessica Wilkerson

• Appalachia
• Film
• Photography
• Regionalism
• Stereotype
• Television
• American Studies

Repository record dc:identifier

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/884

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:egrove.olemiss.edu:etd-1883