Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Autoethnography of Appalachia: Exploring the culture(s) of Appalachia by combining self-reflection and traditional research
Session Abstract or Summary
Studying Appalachian peoples and cultures at West Virginia University (WVU) involves considering a wide range of perspectives, including – but not limited to – views from within and outside of the region. The undergraduate population at WVU is comprised of students who have lived in Appalachia for most or all of their lives as well as students whose personal relationship with Appalachia began when they arrived at the university. In order to account for and bring these varying perspectives to the forefront in classroom instruction and discussion pedagogy must not only address diversity but engage all students in the process of exploring their own relationship to Appalachia and Appalachian culture(s). This panel is comprised of papers initially written to fulfill the Autoethnography Assignment required of all students taking Anthropology of Appalachia – an undergraduate course taught at WVU.
Autoethnography combines self-reflection and ethnographic research. In these papers, the panelists explore Appalachian culture by applying anthropological theories and perspectives to critically analyze their own experiences in and/or relationship with Appalachia. By exploring Appalachian culture(s) from a self-reflexive lens panelists consider and bring together a range of themes of interest to scholars of Appalachia: e.g. place, tradition, identity, diversity and stereotype. The ultimate goal of this panel is threefold: (1) to emphasize diversity within Appalachia through self-reflective research, (2) to showcase exceptional undergraduate writing and (3) to highlight autoethnography as an effective tool for teaching and engaging students in classes in and about Appalachia.
Presentation #1 Title
The Negative Affect of an Appalachian Dialect
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
In this Autoethnography, the author tells a personal narrative about how growing up in rural Appalachia shaped her personal growth and identity. She draws from personal experiences and her struggles with having an Appalachian accent in a professional world. In researching for this work, the author draws on scholarship on Appalachian stereotypes (Massey 2007), the Appalachian Dialect (Mehring 2006), the tragic disappearance of the Appalachian identity (Grenoble 2012). This Autoethnography highlights personal experiences with negative stereotypes in Appalachia, and adds to the growing field of study on Appalachian identity.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Ashlyn Shultz is a first-year Master’s student in Higher Education Administration at West Virginia University. She graduated from WVU with her B.A. in Geography with a minor in Anthropology in May of 2016. Her research interests include access and affordability of Higher Education for students located in rural Appalachia.
Presentation #2 Title
Queerpalachia: Examining Rural Queerness through an Appalachian Lens
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
This paper explores queerness, its manifestations and the construction of queer bodies and spaces in and of Appalachia (specifically West Virginia). Drawing from the work of James C. Scott, bell hooks, and Michael Foucault, this paper examines queerness in Appalachian and the queerness of Appalachia. In this paper, the author cites both personal experience as a queer/genderqueer person growing up and living in Appalachia and provides examples of queerness taking place throughout Appalachia. In this paper the author will argue that spaces and places within Appalachia have been constructed by dominant, oppressive forces as unfriendly to queerness and extremely conservative when, in actuality, these spaces and places can be quite queer and, in many cases, more open to queerness than other places traditionally constructed as more “friendly.” Furthermore, this paper invites a broader conversation about what shapes queerness takes in Appalachia, how it has been rendered invisible by the mainstream “pride movement,” and how this alienation of the Appalachian queer relies on classist stereotypes often purported by the dominant group which inevitably divides the queer community so instead of working together as a single, unified movement, power is maintained by the dominant group as these two queer subgroups are set against each other.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Eliot Hough is a third year student at West Virginia University double majoring in English and Sociology and minoring in Queer Studies, Women and Gender Studies, and Appalachian Studies. They are a research assistant at the West Virginia Dialect Project under Dr. Kirk Hazen. Their research thus far focuses primarily on the intersections of classism, sexism, and heterosexism as it relates to “fandom” culture.
Presentation #3 Title
Placemaking for the Future: Why are Millennials fleeing West Virginia?
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Educated millennials are increasingly migrating out of the state of West Virginia. Using an autoethnographic approach this paper analyzes the reasons some young West Virginians are planning for futures out-of-state. Many blame this regional “brain drain” on West Virginia’s poor economy. Although employment and financial security are likely reasons why young people leave the state, there is growing evidence that negative self-perception and the internalization of negative stereotypes attributed to their home state and region also play a role in young people’s decisions to leave West Virginia. This paper draws on the work of Anglin (2002), Towers (2005), and Adducchio and Mistich (2014) to explore the reasons for Appalachian outmigration and to contextualize the effect this outmigration has had on the state of West Virginia. This paper also draws on personal experience to consider the following questions: if it is young people who are best equipped to make positive changes to the state and the region, how do we get them to stay? If we work to subvert negative stereotypes of West Virginia, will the state become something that is worth fighting for in the eyes of millennials? Can we make this state and this region a place that young West Virginians are proud to call home?
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Olivia Seibert is a junior at West Virginia. She is majoring in Women’s and Gender Studies and is pursuing minors in Appalachian Studies and Law and Legal Studies. Olivia is originally from Elkins, West Virginia
Presentation #4 Title
“Iron Grannies” and “Mountain Mamas”: The Women of Appalachia and their Erasure from Regional Histories
Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary
This paper uses an autoethnographic approach to look at the erasure of Appalachian women from national and regional histories and how the exclusion of women’s stories has reinforced the patriarchal stereotypes that are still very prevalent today within Appalachia. By focusing on the two main tropes of Appalachian women – the “iron granny” and the “mountain mama” – this paper explores how the characterization of women in relation to industry and landscapes has had a dichotomous effect on how women are viewed and valued within their communities. Appalachian women have helped shape the region’s political landscape, however, their impact on the region is largely erased by Local Color writers and their more recent counterparts. This paper draws on the work of Mary Anglin and bell hooks to examine the erasure of Appalachian women from national and regional narratives despite the continued importance of Appalachian women – “iron grannies” and “mountain mamas” – within local communities.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Olivia Given is a first year Master’s student at the University of Louisville in Women’s and Gender Studies. Her research focuses on LGBTQ oral history in Appalachia and Appalachian women’s narratives.
Presentation #5 Title
Alexandra goes to Appala-what?: Re-inventing Identity in Appalachia
Presentation #5 Abstract or Summary
This paper explores how the author has come to understand her own identity after research on Appalachian identity, and experiences since living in the region. Utilizing Batteau’s invention of Appalachia (1990) and Frederik Barth’s ideas on ethnic groups and boundaries (1969), she explains how her “outsider” notions of the region and her own identity evolved as she negotiated her relationship to the region’s identity. Written in an autoethnographic perspective and influenced by the writing styles of Appalachian writers bell hooks and Wendell Berry, the author draws on her own experiences of identity to describe what Appalachia now means to her.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #5
Alexandra Combates is a recent graduate of West Virginia University. She has a BA in Sociology and Anthropology with a minor in Religious Studies.
The Negative Affect of an Appalachian Dialect
In this Autoethnography, the author tells a personal narrative about how growing up in rural Appalachia shaped her personal growth and identity. She draws from personal experiences and her struggles with having an Appalachian accent in a professional world. In researching for this work, the author draws on scholarship on Appalachian stereotypes (Massey 2007), the Appalachian Dialect (Mehring 2006), the tragic disappearance of the Appalachian identity (Grenoble 2012). This Autoethnography highlights personal experiences with negative stereotypes in Appalachia, and adds to the growing field of study on Appalachian identity.
