The Routledge History of the American South
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Book Description
The Routledge History of the American South looks at the major themes that have developed in the interdisciplinary field of Southern Studies. With fifteen original essays from experts in their respective fields, the handbook addresses such diverse topics as southern linguistics, music (secular and non-secular), gender, food, and history and memory. The chapters present focused historiographical analyses that, taken together, offer a clear sense of the evolution and contours of Southern Studies. This volume is valuable both as a dynamic introduction to Southern Studies and as an entry point into more recent research for those already familiar with the subfield.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Text and Context – David A. Davis & Maggi M. Morehouse
Chapter 1: History of the American South – Rebecca Brannon
Chapter 2: Politics, Southern Style – Peyton Jones & Raymond A. Arsenault
Chapter 3: Southern Identity – Orville Vernon Burton & Anderson Rouse
Chapter 4: Southern Language – Becky Childs & Christine Mallinson
Chapter 5: Gendered Worlds – Valinda Littlefield & Dorothy O. Pratt
Chapter 6: War and Warriors – Marcus S. Cox
Chapter 7: Business and Work in the South – Bruce W. Eelman
Chapter 8: Religious Practices – Anderson Rouse & Orville Vernon Burton
Chapter 9: Church Music in Black and White – Eric Crawford
Chapter 10: Songs of the South – Eric Nunn, William C. Palmer
Chapter 11: Foodways – David A. Davis
Chapter 12: Architecture and Landscape Art – Christopher Fennell, Shawn Fields, Rebecca Schumann
Chapter 13: The Cinematic South – Lisa Hinrichsen & Daniel Cross Turner
Chapter 14: The Literary South – Taylor Hagood
Chapter 15: Divided by a Common Past: Race and the Unfinished Revolution of Reconstruction – J. Brent Morris
Editor(s)
Biography
Maggi M. Morehouse is Burroughs Distinguished Professor of Southern History and Culture at Coastal Carolina University.
Reviews
If you’re looking for an up-to-date survey of the trends and issues that define the field of Southern Studies, there’s no better book than The Routledge History of the American South. While grounded solidly in history, as its title says, the volume embraces a wide-ranging interdisciplinarity, covering fields as diverse as religion, foodways, and business. What emerges is a compelling vision of the region and its often loving and often terrifying peculiarities, as well as a deep understanding of what’s culturally and politically at stake in the various ways we define the South and designate traditions as southern.
- Robert Brinkmeyer, University of South Carolina
You will not know the full scope of the history and culture of the American South until you read this compelling book. Authorities from a multitude of disciplines present a fascinating portrait of the South from its early origins to the contemporary period in chapters ranging from identity to religion, linguistics to food, and politics to film. This volume appeals to a wide audience of readers. A stunning achievement!
- Carolyn Ross Johnston, Eckerd College
Arguably the most studied place on earth, the American South has inspired a vast library of work that spans over three centuries. In the magisterial History of the American South, Maggi Morehouse embraces this rich body of literature and offers a powerful new vision of the region’s history and culture, with an eye toward its future. The History is a radical work that challenges us to rethink what it means to be "southern." The book is an essential resource for all who seek to understand the American South.
- William Ferris, author of The South in Color: A Visual Journey