Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Examining Staying as Resistance in West Virginia for Community Empowerment
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
West Virginia has high unemployment rates, high rates of addiction and poverty, and some of the worst health outcomes in the country. So why do people stay? Many scholars have written about outmigration, but there is little information on why people stay. After decades of people leaving, those who remain have made a choice to stay. This act can be seen as resistance against the problematic discourses surrounding the Appalachian region and the economic disparities found within rural communities. West Virginians are often dependent on the boom and bust cycles of industry, where unjust power dynamics are developed and perpetuated. Those who stay have strong ties to place and a sense of identity connected to the region. Place plays a large role in connecting identity constructs to social action. Rural communities can build on their social capital and strong ties to place in forging new paths to staying. As identity is inextricably linked to place, a love of place can be a powerful means to harnessing resistance. These identity constructs can challenge insider/outsider binaries by showing the depth of diversity within communities and people who are committed to place. Building action from placed identities can advance the region as people write their own stories instead of continuing to react against decades of negative discourse. The tide of outmigration is unlikely to end soon. Finding out why people are staying and using that information for development can be a powerful tool for disrupting problematic discourses and agency for those who stay.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Beth Nardella is an Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine at West Virginia University and the Academic Coordinator for Amizade Global Service Learning, a non-profit based out of Pittsburgh, PA. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Human and Community Development.
Examining Staying as Resistance in West Virginia for Community Empowerment
West Virginia has high unemployment rates, high rates of addiction and poverty, and some of the worst health outcomes in the country. So why do people stay? Many scholars have written about outmigration, but there is little information on why people stay. After decades of people leaving, those who remain have made a choice to stay. This act can be seen as resistance against the problematic discourses surrounding the Appalachian region and the economic disparities found within rural communities. West Virginians are often dependent on the boom and bust cycles of industry, where unjust power dynamics are developed and perpetuated. Those who stay have strong ties to place and a sense of identity connected to the region. Place plays a large role in connecting identity constructs to social action. Rural communities can build on their social capital and strong ties to place in forging new paths to staying. As identity is inextricably linked to place, a love of place can be a powerful means to harnessing resistance. These identity constructs can challenge insider/outsider binaries by showing the depth of diversity within communities and people who are committed to place. Building action from placed identities can advance the region as people write their own stories instead of continuing to react against decades of negative discourse. The tide of outmigration is unlikely to end soon. Finding out why people are staying and using that information for development can be a powerful tool for disrupting problematic discourses and agency for those who stay.
