Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
A Spatial Analysis of Appalachian Identity and Vernacular: Dispersed Distribution with a Concentrated Core
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The interrelated questions of “where is Appalachia” and “who is Appalachian” necessarily evade clear cut, generalizable answers. Simply put, the place(s) of Appalachia and identity therewith are the products of complex, dynamic social-environmental interactions—not fixed features found within a known set of physical boundaries. The implication is that there exist multiple “Appalachias,” each with its own unique spatiotemporal dimensions and social compositions. In that context, this paper performs a spatial analysis that reveals simultaneous diversity and unity in contemporary geographies of these “Appalachias.” Specifically, three measurable (and map-able) variables, which contain partial information on the current “where” and “who” of Appalachia, are combined to depict both the expansive distribution, and the concentrated core, of Appalachian identity and vernacular in the conterminous United States. The variables included in the study are the: (1) number of individuals who self-reported having “Appalachian” ancestry in the most recent vintage of the U.S. Census American Community Survey; (2) current number of incorporated organizations with the character string “Appalachia” somewhere in their name; and (3) current number of places with official geographic names that conform to a relatively distinctive “Appalachian” geographic vernacular that has been established in previous research. The results show that traces of Appalachian identity and vernacular are found from coast to coast (to coast) in the continental U.S. Nevertheless, the joint distribution of the three traces named above remains highly concentrated in the uplands of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia, the western Carolinas, and north Georgia.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Russell Weaver, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at Texas State University. His current research interests include community economic development and collective action, particularly in the American Appalachian region.
A Spatial Analysis of Appalachian Identity and Vernacular: Dispersed Distribution with a Concentrated Core
The interrelated questions of “where is Appalachia” and “who is Appalachian” necessarily evade clear cut, generalizable answers. Simply put, the place(s) of Appalachia and identity therewith are the products of complex, dynamic social-environmental interactions—not fixed features found within a known set of physical boundaries. The implication is that there exist multiple “Appalachias,” each with its own unique spatiotemporal dimensions and social compositions. In that context, this paper performs a spatial analysis that reveals simultaneous diversity and unity in contemporary geographies of these “Appalachias.” Specifically, three measurable (and map-able) variables, which contain partial information on the current “where” and “who” of Appalachia, are combined to depict both the expansive distribution, and the concentrated core, of Appalachian identity and vernacular in the conterminous United States. The variables included in the study are the: (1) number of individuals who self-reported having “Appalachian” ancestry in the most recent vintage of the U.S. Census American Community Survey; (2) current number of incorporated organizations with the character string “Appalachia” somewhere in their name; and (3) current number of places with official geographic names that conform to a relatively distinctive “Appalachian” geographic vernacular that has been established in previous research. The results show that traces of Appalachian identity and vernacular are found from coast to coast (to coast) in the continental U.S. Nevertheless, the joint distribution of the three traces named above remains highly concentrated in the uplands of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia, the western Carolinas, and north Georgia.
