Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Session 2.07 History and Activism
Presentation #1 Title
Melungeon Scholarship: Known Realities and Imagined Possibilities
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Abstract: This panel will discuss four topics related to Melungeons including lived experience, historical documents melding with narratives, the rise and fall of social movements, and the power of activism. Since Brent Kennedy’s biographical account of Melungeon Identity, the movement has grown to huge proportions and then waned again. Participation in online list-serves continues to wax and wane amid controversy, adversity, and exclusionary methods to determine who belongs and who doesn’t. By the inclusion of four distinct (and sometimes differing) views regarding Melungeons, this panel attempts to include all voices, academics and lay researchers, to the scholarship that surrounds the topic. Together we hope to model respectful discourse, examining all the pieces of the Melungeon puzzle while moderating the "us" versus "them" discourse that has overshadowed the identity movement for years. The convergence and divergence of the various perspectives will bring the complexities and subtleties of these topics to light. This session will provoke attendees to consider various models of epistemology and ontology in regards to Melungeon identity and experience. A brief opportunity to ask questions and engage with the latest literature will follow the four presentations.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Tammy Stachowicz, PhD, tstachowicz@davenport.edu, Davenport University. Stachowicz has maintained a continued and sustained scholarship regarding Appalachian and Melungeon Identity. Recently completing a doctoral dissertation, her research included portraiture and phenomenology when exploring Melungeon identity. Focusing on lived experience, Stachowicz is a proponent of a more inclusive view of a Melungeon discussion and participation.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Joanne Pezzullo, joannepezzullo@aol.com, Web Author of Documenting the Melungeons. Pezzullo is a regular contributor to all things Melungeon and has found a niche in genealogical records and researching historical documents. Active in the “movement” since its beginning, Pezzullo has logged countless hours tracking migration patterns of prominent Melungeon families through census records, court documents, wills, and newspaper archives.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Darlene Wilson, vadare52@gmail.com, Wilson has intimate first-hand experience with the entire Melungiana phenomenon from the first Internet-based investigation and indeed, in 1996, created the first 'A Melungeon WebPage' which received international media attention and national awards for historical excellence. As the only trained historian to have engaged in productive public critique of Kennedy's original work, Wilson was extended an invitation to present at the prestigious Berkshire women's history conference, among other prominent venues. To date she remains the only scholar to have published a peer-reviewed examination of historical / anthropological evidence related to Appalachian ethnicity.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
William Isom, william.isom2@gmail.com, founder of Hands Off Appalachia, An activist and advocate of popular education, Isom works at Mélange, Community Organization, Tennessee Appalchian Community Economic Project, and Community Media Organizing Project. Committed to empowering communities and individuals, Isom is often on the front-line leading protests against the exploitation and oppression of Appalachia.
Melungeon Scholarship: Known Realities and Imagined Possibilities
Harris Hall 138
Abstract: This panel will discuss four topics related to Melungeons including lived experience, historical documents melding with narratives, the rise and fall of social movements, and the power of activism. Since Brent Kennedy’s biographical account of Melungeon Identity, the movement has grown to huge proportions and then waned again. Participation in online list-serves continues to wax and wane amid controversy, adversity, and exclusionary methods to determine who belongs and who doesn’t. By the inclusion of four distinct (and sometimes differing) views regarding Melungeons, this panel attempts to include all voices, academics and lay researchers, to the scholarship that surrounds the topic. Together we hope to model respectful discourse, examining all the pieces of the Melungeon puzzle while moderating the "us" versus "them" discourse that has overshadowed the identity movement for years. The convergence and divergence of the various perspectives will bring the complexities and subtleties of these topics to light. This session will provoke attendees to consider various models of epistemology and ontology in regards to Melungeon identity and experience. A brief opportunity to ask questions and engage with the latest literature will follow the four presentations.
