Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 2.01 History, Labor, and Activism
Presentation #1 Title
From “Pockets of Poverty” to Potential Prosperity in Appalachia: Connecting Mass Media Narratives of Poverty Stereotypes to Authentic Appalachia through Photovoice
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
General public discourse suggests that Appalachian people are often trapped in an ideological construct of hillbillies because of the circulation of Appalachian stereotypes in American visual culture (Price et. al. 2000; Massey, 2007; Ferrence, 2012). This study examines media narratives of poverty stereotypes in Eastern Kentucky through Photovoice, a participatory action research method that combines photography and social action. Using qualitative research methods including ethnography, participatory action interviews and media narrative analysis, the study determines if past stereotypes persist today and if those stereotypes affect how Appalachians see themselves. The research compares the framing of the media coverage during the period in which Johnson declared the War on Poverty through a national outlet, The New York Times, and a local Appalachian newspaper, The Mountain Eagle in Whitesburg, Kentucky, where Johnson launched the War on Poverty in January 1964. The project connects this past narrative analysis research to reexamine the present to study the power of media narratives and its lingering effects by looking at whether Appalachian people are still marginalized through media narratives. The project includes interviews with community members in Eastern Kentucky about perceptions of media and stereotypes, two workshops and group discussions, and the implementation of Photovoice, which involves participant-produced photography to facilitate empowerment education among participants (Wang and Burris, 1994). The analyzed data and photographs will be presented in photo exhibitions in the Whitesburg and Elon communities to inspire action through awareness of social issues, illuminate misconceptions and stereotypes about Appalachia, and share personal experience stories.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Originally from Maryland, Gloria So is a Senior Honors Fellow at Elon University in North Carolina with an independent major in Human Rights & Social Justice Activism.
From “Pockets of Poverty” to Potential Prosperity in Appalachia: Connecting Mass Media Narratives of Poverty Stereotypes to Authentic Appalachia through Photovoice
Harris Hall 139
General public discourse suggests that Appalachian people are often trapped in an ideological construct of hillbillies because of the circulation of Appalachian stereotypes in American visual culture (Price et. al. 2000; Massey, 2007; Ferrence, 2012). This study examines media narratives of poverty stereotypes in Eastern Kentucky through Photovoice, a participatory action research method that combines photography and social action. Using qualitative research methods including ethnography, participatory action interviews and media narrative analysis, the study determines if past stereotypes persist today and if those stereotypes affect how Appalachians see themselves. The research compares the framing of the media coverage during the period in which Johnson declared the War on Poverty through a national outlet, The New York Times, and a local Appalachian newspaper, The Mountain Eagle in Whitesburg, Kentucky, where Johnson launched the War on Poverty in January 1964. The project connects this past narrative analysis research to reexamine the present to study the power of media narratives and its lingering effects by looking at whether Appalachian people are still marginalized through media narratives. The project includes interviews with community members in Eastern Kentucky about perceptions of media and stereotypes, two workshops and group discussions, and the implementation of Photovoice, which involves participant-produced photography to facilitate empowerment education among participants (Wang and Burris, 1994). The analyzed data and photographs will be presented in photo exhibitions in the Whitesburg and Elon communities to inspire action through awareness of social issues, illuminate misconceptions and stereotypes about Appalachia, and share personal experience stories.
