Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Queer(ing) Appalachia: Reclaiming Belonging from Queerphobic Myths
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Queer bodies have long been excluded and erased in Appalachia by way of misinformed cultural narratives that tells of an Appalachia that is rural, white, cisgendered and mostly male. Despite a long history of complicating evidence portraying Appalachia as heterogeneous, queers, particularly women, struggle for representation and recognition. Exclusionary social scripts and civil society carved from a hegemonic political economy further relegate, isolate, and erase queer women from regional (and national) consciousness. For queers, this means divisions drawn between urbanity and rurality—gay meccas and backwoods purgatories—that rumor spaces to be safe or unsafe. Given these scripts and others, women are bound within Appalachian spaces and struggle to authentically embody and perform their particular subjectivities, especially when accounting for intersectional identities. Situated within East Tennessee, this research uses Appalachian space as a case-study setting for a two-stage dialogic analysis project concerning how queer women experience and construct belonging. Qualitative interview data informs an analysis of the dialogue produced within the interplay of queer women’s embodied subjectivities, performances, and performance contexts. Quantitative data, collected via survey, describes participants’ demographics, identities, and sense of belonging to understand how subjectivity and identity impact experience. In short, this research illuminates how queer women can—and do— rewrite space-bound scripts that change their context and forge belonging. By belonging, these women are resisting, reclaiming belonging, and queering the boundaries of space and place. They are creating a queer(ed) Appalachia.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Amelia Charles, originally from Southwest Virginia, now lives in Johnson City, TN while pursuing an M.A. in Appalachian Studies at ETSU focused around community and cultural studies. In addition, Amelia works as a research assistant in the Department of Appalachian Studies and an undergraduate tutor. She received a B.S. Honors in Psychology from Bluefield College where she conducted original research on learned helplessness among college students in Central Appalachia and studied ethics for Appalachian community development. After graduating, she taught in the Mississippi Delta with Teach for America. Amelia now owns JonBoys Pizza, a local pizzeria in her hometown that partners with the local community to support education and youth organizations. In addition to her research, Amelia participates in activism concerning race, class, gender and sexuality liberation and the environment. Amelia also partners with local nonprofits and social entrepreneurship projects, like the Ramsey Partnership in Bluefield, WV, in economic development projects, entrepreneurship incubation, strategic branding and planning, equity strategy, and community education.
Queer(ing) Appalachia: Reclaiming Belonging from Queerphobic Myths
Queer bodies have long been excluded and erased in Appalachia by way of misinformed cultural narratives that tells of an Appalachia that is rural, white, cisgendered and mostly male. Despite a long history of complicating evidence portraying Appalachia as heterogeneous, queers, particularly women, struggle for representation and recognition. Exclusionary social scripts and civil society carved from a hegemonic political economy further relegate, isolate, and erase queer women from regional (and national) consciousness. For queers, this means divisions drawn between urbanity and rurality—gay meccas and backwoods purgatories—that rumor spaces to be safe or unsafe. Given these scripts and others, women are bound within Appalachian spaces and struggle to authentically embody and perform their particular subjectivities, especially when accounting for intersectional identities. Situated within East Tennessee, this research uses Appalachian space as a case-study setting for a two-stage dialogic analysis project concerning how queer women experience and construct belonging. Qualitative interview data informs an analysis of the dialogue produced within the interplay of queer women’s embodied subjectivities, performances, and performance contexts. Quantitative data, collected via survey, describes participants’ demographics, identities, and sense of belonging to understand how subjectivity and identity impact experience. In short, this research illuminates how queer women can—and do— rewrite space-bound scripts that change their context and forge belonging. By belonging, these women are resisting, reclaiming belonging, and queering the boundaries of space and place. They are creating a queer(ed) Appalachia.
