{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/139417"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/139417","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Hillbilly Talkback: Co-Creation and Counter-Narrative in Appalachia","abstract":"The Appalachian region has been systematically stereotyped in popular media representations for over a century, contributing to many of the structural, economic, and psychological challenges faced by those who live there. In order to solve this issue, it is necessary to produce compelling counter-representations which undermine the dominant regime of representation around Appalachia. In this thesis, I explore some of the most common image types used to represent Appalachia in popular media and assess the potential of co-creative documentary practices to create representations which challenge these harmful images. I begin with an explanation of the importance of representation, drawing from the work of Stuart Hall in cultural studies, and an introduction to co-creative methodologies in media production. Next, I recount the history of four tropes commonly used to represent Appalachia in popular media. Finally, I examine two co-creative documentaries set in the Appalachian region – Elaine McMillion Sheldon’s Hollow and my own The Appalachian Retelling Project – to assess these projects’ approaches to co-creation and the counter-narratives that emerge from them. Ultimately, I argue that co-creation is an effective methodology for producing compelling counter-representations of Appalachia and for other groups like it who have been systematically misrepresented.","abstract_html":"The Appalachian region has been systematically stereotyped in popular media representations for over a century, contributing to many of the structural, economic, and psychological challenges faced by those who live there. In order to solve this issue, it is necessary to produce compelling counter-representations which undermine the dominant regime of representation around Appalachia. In this thesis, I explore some of the most common image types used to represent Appalachia in popular media and assess the potential of co-creative documentary practices to create representations which challenge these harmful images. I begin with an explanation of the importance of representation, drawing from the work of Stuart Hall in cultural studies, and an introduction to co-creative methodologies in media production. Next, I recount the history of four tropes commonly used to represent Appalachia in popular media. Finally, I examine two co-creative documentaries set in the Appalachian region – Elaine McMillion Sheldon’s Hollow and my own The Appalachian Retelling Project – to assess these projects’ approaches to co-creation and the counter-narratives that emerge from them. Ultimately, I argue that co-creation is an effective methodology for producing compelling counter-representations of Appalachia and for other groups like it who have been systematically misrepresented.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Justice, Elon B."],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":"Master","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 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In order to solve this issue, it is necessary to produce compelling counter-representations which undermine the dominant regime of representation around Appalachia. In this thesis, I explore some of the most common image types used to represent Appalachia in popular media and assess the potential of co-creative documentary practices to create representations which challenge these harmful images. I begin with an explanation of the importance of representation, drawing from the work of Stuart Hall in cultural studies, and an introduction to co-creative methodologies in media production. Next, I recount the history of four tropes commonly used to represent Appalachia in popular media. Finally, I examine two co-creative documentaries set in the Appalachian region – Elaine McMillion Sheldon’s Hollow and my own The Appalachian Retelling Project – to assess these projects’ approaches to co-creation and the counter-narratives that emerge from them. Ultimately, I argue that co-creation is an effective methodology for producing compelling counter-representations of Appalachia and for other groups like it who have been systematically misrepresented."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.M."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Hillbilly Talkback: Co-Creation and Counter-Narrative in Appalachia"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Bald, Vivek"],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Program in Comparative Media Studies/Writing"],"dc:creator":["Justice, Elon B."],"dc:date.accessioned":["2022-01-14T15:10:16Z"],"dc:date.available":["2022-01-14T15:10:16Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2021-06"],"dc:description.abstract":["The Appalachian region has been systematically stereotyped in popular media representations for over a century, contributing to many of the structural, economic, and psychological challenges faced by those who live there. In order to solve this issue, it is necessary to produce compelling counter-representations which undermine the dominant regime of representation around Appalachia. In this thesis, I explore some of the most common image types used to represent Appalachia in popular media and assess the potential of co-creative documentary practices to create representations which challenge these harmful images. I begin with an explanation of the importance of representation, drawing from the work of Stuart Hall in cultural studies, and an introduction to co-creative methodologies in media production. Next, I recount the history of four tropes commonly used to represent Appalachia in popular media. Finally, I examine two co-creative documentaries set in the Appalachian region – Elaine McMillion Sheldon’s Hollow and my own The Appalachian Retelling Project – to assess these projects’ approaches to co-creation and the counter-narratives that emerge from them. 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