Appalachia on Repeat: A Critical Investigation of the Photographic Representation of an American Region

This thesis explores the photographic representation of the US region of Appalachia from the 1960s - present. Appalachia has been documented by myriad documentary photographers since the 1960s, and a specific and repetitive visual narrative has emerged from their resulting publications. Taking an integrative approach combining image analysis, archive/historical research, and interviews with photographers active within the region, this thesis aims to define and interrogate this narrative. The thesis is structured around a history of Appalachia and its representation within American culture, identifying the enduring tropes, stereotypes and associations connected with the region across each era. These elements are traced through into the images published by documentary photographers operating in the region, via specifically devised ‘filing cabinet’ and ‘image table’ methodologies, systematically identifying and contextualising the visual narrative that has formed around Appalachia and how it has evolved over time. Subsequently, Giddens’ structuration theory and Deleuze’s conceptualisation of repetition and difference are used to investigate why so many photographers are compelled to work in Appalachia, and whether, how and why they are unwilling or unable to deviate from this visual narrative. Drawing from interviews with photographers alongside insights from their professional collaborators and critics, this thesis reveals not only recurring imagery but also parallel repetitions within photographers’ motivations, rationalisations, and methodologies. The contribution to knowledge in this thesis lies within its focus on documentary photography, and its use of novel image analysis and categorisation methodologies to analyse large numbers of images and put forward a prototype visual lexicon of Appalachian documentary photography. Whilst many scholars have studied and surveyed the broader media representation of Appalachia, this thesis uniquely focuses on documentary photography, providing in-depth insight across a suitably wide temporal scope. Ultimately, this thesis aims to demonstrate that the depiction of Appalachia exemplifies a wider problem of representation and repetition within the field of documentary photography.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Ph.D.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

PhD thesis

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Westminster

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Bareman, Karin

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Bate, D.
• Shinkle, E.

Identifier

oai:westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk:x4567

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk:x4567