In The American South in the Twentieth Century, some of the region’s most respected and readable observers look back on the past 100 years to help us take stock of where the South is now and where it maybeheaded.
Reflecting the writers’ deep interests in southern history, politics, literature, religion and other matters, the essays engage in new ways some timeless concerns about the region: How has the South changed — or not changed? Has the South as a distinct region disappeared, or has it maintained its cultural and social distinctiveness while absorbing influences from other regions?
Although the essays touch on a n engaging range of topics — from crop spraying policies to collegiate women’s soccer — they ultimately cluster around a common set of themes. These include: race, segregation and the fall of Jim Crow; gender cultural distinctiveness and identity; and modernization, education, and urbanization. Mindful of the South’s reputation for insularity, the essays also gauge the impact of federal assistance and other outside influences.
Dr. Craig S. Pascoe is editor of Atlanta History: A Journal of Georgia and the South and an assistant professor of history at Georgia College & State University. Dr. Karen Trahan Leathem is a historian at the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans. Andy Ambrose is a historian of Atlanta and the chief operating officer of the Atlanta History Center.
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