Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
From Horace Kephart to the New York Times: How Non-Appalachians Have Come to Define Appalachian Identity
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
A vast amount of Appalachian conveyances come from those who are not native to the area. Those flawed perceptions of the area and its people have overpowered the actual voices of Appalachia. Though there are many contributing forces, this presentation will focus on Horace Kephart’s Our Southern Highlander as well as current portrayals, such as the articles, “Mountain Dew Mouth is Destroying Appalachia’s Teeth,” and “Feeling Let Down and Left Behind,” from NPR and the New York Times that perpetuate a sense of hopelessness and Appalachian fatalism. My hypothesis is that the faulty definition of Appalachian identity has come to be a self-fulfilled prophecy. Appalachians define themselves by those faulty definitions coming from outsiders.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Jessica DeLong has been a lifelong resident of Appalachia. She is currently pursuing an MA in English and also works as a teaching assistant at Marshall University in Huntington, WV.
From Horace Kephart to the New York Times: How Non-Appalachians Have Come to Define Appalachian Identity
A vast amount of Appalachian conveyances come from those who are not native to the area. Those flawed perceptions of the area and its people have overpowered the actual voices of Appalachia. Though there are many contributing forces, this presentation will focus on Horace Kephart’s Our Southern Highlander as well as current portrayals, such as the articles, “Mountain Dew Mouth is Destroying Appalachia’s Teeth,” and “Feeling Let Down and Left Behind,” from NPR and the New York Times that perpetuate a sense of hopelessness and Appalachian fatalism. My hypothesis is that the faulty definition of Appalachian identity has come to be a self-fulfilled prophecy. Appalachians define themselves by those faulty definitions coming from outsiders.
