Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 9.07 Social Sciences, Race and Ethnicity
Presentation #1 Title
Marginalizing the People of Appalachia: A Closer look at The Hog Killing ’90.
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This essay examines how public memory is visualized in the documentary, The True Meaning of Pictures: Shelby Lee Adams’ Appalachia. By analyzing the still pictures included in the documentary, I argue that the visual imagery and rhetoric can blur a line between reality and fantasy. When you construct a particular image, in this case, a particular image of a marginalized culture, both public memory and collective memory are altered. As a result, public culture is affected and I argue that in the case of Shelby Lee Adams photography, his imagery serves an injustice to an already marginalized culture by promoting a historic sense of Appalachia rooted too firmly in the notion of nostalgia and tradition. The visual stills seen in the documentary alter interpretations of Appalachia, which serves as an injustice to both the citizens, and potential visitors of the region. I argue that a photographer who is seen as an “outsider” cannot properly document a culture and its people without constructing a narrative that incorporates the author’s personal biases. Consequently, the visual imagery propels stereotypes, which already plague the region. Based upon these visualizations, I extend the arguments for how both rhetoricians and the public, critique place, space, memory and community.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Lora Smith is a graduate student at Wake Forest University. Her research focuses on: concepts of space and place in Appalachia.
Marginalizing the People of Appalachia: A Closer look at The Hog Killing ’90.
Harris Hall 234
This essay examines how public memory is visualized in the documentary, The True Meaning of Pictures: Shelby Lee Adams’ Appalachia. By analyzing the still pictures included in the documentary, I argue that the visual imagery and rhetoric can blur a line between reality and fantasy. When you construct a particular image, in this case, a particular image of a marginalized culture, both public memory and collective memory are altered. As a result, public culture is affected and I argue that in the case of Shelby Lee Adams photography, his imagery serves an injustice to an already marginalized culture by promoting a historic sense of Appalachia rooted too firmly in the notion of nostalgia and tradition. The visual stills seen in the documentary alter interpretations of Appalachia, which serves as an injustice to both the citizens, and potential visitors of the region. I argue that a photographer who is seen as an “outsider” cannot properly document a culture and its people without constructing a narrative that incorporates the author’s personal biases. Consequently, the visual imagery propels stereotypes, which already plague the region. Based upon these visualizations, I extend the arguments for how both rhetoricians and the public, critique place, space, memory and community.
