What does "redneck" mean? What's going to happen to the southern accent? What makes black southerners laugh? What is "real" country music? These are the kinds of questions that pop up in this collection of notable essays from Southern Cultures, the journal of the Center for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Intentionally plural, Southern Cultures was founded in 1993 to present all sides of the American South, from sorority sisters to Pocahontas, from kudzu to the blues.This volume collects 27 essays from the journal's first fifteen years, bringing together some of the most memorable and engaging essays as well as some of those most requested for use in courses. A stellar cast of contributors discusses themes of identity, pride, traditions, changes, conflicts, and stereotypes. Topics range from black migrants in Chicago to Mexican immigrants in North Carolina, from Tennessee wrestlers to Martin Luther King, from the Civil War to contemporary debates about the Confederate flag. Funny and serious, historical and contemporary, the collection offers something new for every South-watcher, with fresh perspectives on enduring debates about the people and cultures of America's most complex region.Contributors: Derek H. Alderman, East Carolina UniversityDonna G'Segner Alderman, Greenville, North CarolinaS. Jonathan Bass, Samford UniversityDwight B. Billings, University of KentuckyCatherine W. Bishir, Preservation North CarolinaKathleen M. Blee, University of PittsburghElizabeth Boyd, Vanderbilt UniversityJames C. Cobb, University of GeorgiaPeter A. Coclanis, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillJoseph Crespino, Emory UniversityDrew Gilpin Faust, Harvard Universityfranklin forts, University of GeorgiaDavid Goldfield, University of North Carolina at CharlotteLarry J. Griffin, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillAdam Gussow, University of MississippiTrudier Harris, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillPatrick Huber, University of Missouri-RollaLouis M. Kyriakoudes, University of Southern MississippiMelton McLaurin, University of North Carolina at Wilmington Michael Montgomery, University of South CarolinaSteve Oney, Los Angeles, CaliforniaTheda Perdue, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillDan Pierce, University of North Carolina at AshevilleJohn Shelton Reed, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillMart Stewart, Western Washington UniversityThomas A. Tweed, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillTimothy B. Tyson, Duke UniversityAnthony Walton, Bowdoin CollegeHarry L. Watson, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillCharles Reagan Wilson, University of MississippiC. Vann Woodward (1908-1999)
