Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 9.07 Social Sciences, Race and Ethnicity
Presentation #1 Title
The Shadow of America: Living in District Twelve
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
In this paper I will be detailing how Appalachia has become the shadow of American society. According to C.G. Jung, there is a shadow which is the summation of the unconscious things we despise about ourselves. Our shadow works like a projector displaying for all to see what we dislike most about ourselves, yet we as society are ignorant of what is on the screen. In this paper I will discuss how Appalachia, as America’s shadow, can be found throughout American culture constantly being portrayed as the “other”. For example, in the recent novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, she depicts Appalachia and the culture of District Twelve as being the polar opposite to that of the Capital and the rest of Panem. The characters of the novel exist as part of Panem, but are not considered to be truly from Panem exactly as the shadow figure is never allowed into conscious thought. By discussing how Appalachia has become the shadow of American society through the use of specific examples, I will explore how we can, as Americans and as Appalachians, assimilate the conscious and the unconscious to further help our region’s future.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Thomas Browning is a senor at the University of Pikeville pursuing a degree in Political Science and Spanish. A native Missourian, Thomas has been living in Appalachia for the past eight years, and has a deep interest in how Appalachian society relates to the rest of the United States.
The Shadow of America: Living in District Twelve
Harris Hall 234
In this paper I will be detailing how Appalachia has become the shadow of American society. According to C.G. Jung, there is a shadow which is the summation of the unconscious things we despise about ourselves. Our shadow works like a projector displaying for all to see what we dislike most about ourselves, yet we as society are ignorant of what is on the screen. In this paper I will discuss how Appalachia, as America’s shadow, can be found throughout American culture constantly being portrayed as the “other”. For example, in the recent novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, she depicts Appalachia and the culture of District Twelve as being the polar opposite to that of the Capital and the rest of Panem. The characters of the novel exist as part of Panem, but are not considered to be truly from Panem exactly as the shadow figure is never allowed into conscious thought. By discussing how Appalachia has become the shadow of American society through the use of specific examples, I will explore how we can, as Americans and as Appalachians, assimilate the conscious and the unconscious to further help our region’s future.
