J. A. Bowman's Personal Podcasts

This episode finalizes our conversation about religion in the American South, though it also points backwards to some of the earlier ideas we studied. The goal in putting religion at the end is to get you to think back on the earlier episodes so you can see how the current cultural wars are driven by much of the information we have studied. As I stated in the episode, the goal is not to convince you that either side I cover is 'right', but my goal is instead to simply offer an overview as food for thought. Image: Graham Speaking at a Crusade in Dusselfdorf. Wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Graham#/media/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_194-0798-29,_D%C3%BCsseldorf,_Veranstaltung_mit_Billy_Graham.jpg

This episode gives a broad overview of religion in the early American South. It delves into a bit of theology, including some of the ideas and approaches that people of varying faiths/ideologies used in their attempt to reach/understand God. These concepts are linked to the growth of religion in the region, and I seek to give and overview of the topic for you so you can learn more through other lengthier resources. Image: George Whitefield - Portrait by Joseph Badger, c. 1745. Wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Whitefield

This episode continues and expands the conversation from the prior episode by looking at musical traditions handed into the South from Africa. This is a large topic, one that cannot possibly be covered in such a short episode, but the information I have shared is intended to help you start that journey. We cover some of the early history of these musical forms, including ragtime, jazz, the blues, rock and roll, and R&B. Image: Louis Armstrong photo from the Hulton Archive/Getty Images. Biography.com. https://www.biography.com/musician/louis-armstrong

In this episode, we cover some of the roots of music in the South, though we specifically focus on country music. Our study of this genre is intended to think about the music in a broad way, though further reading and study will certainly be necessary to understand this topic more. Nonetheless, the artists covered will give you a good starting point, plus the music I share in the episode should help you recognize some of the characteristics of this form of southern music. Image: Jimmie Rodgers in 1929. 2020. Wikimedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JimmieRodgers_in_1929.png

In this episode, we finish our examination of the history of race in the American South by examining this history in broad terms. Again, the goal of the podcast is not to do a deep dive into this history; rather, it is to provide some inroads for you, the listener, to learn more about these topics through your own research and investigation. Image: Photograph of Emmett Till taken by his mother on Christmas Day 1954. 2019. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Till

In this episode, I offer a broad overview of the history of race in the American South. By necessity, this is an overview and not a deep dive, but the information contained in the episode should give you the tools you need to explore further. My hope is that as you listen, you will find some hook here to spur you to learn more about the history of our region. Image: The lower deck of a Guinea man [of war] in the last century lithograph. 2019. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-the-middle-passage-4688744.

In this episode, I share an overview of the topic, offering some observations about why we all need to have a discussion about race. I also pull from my experiences teaching this class for a decade in order to give some broad observations that will perhaps trigger food for thought. My goal, as I state at the end, is to get you to think about this subject and hopefully start conversations that can lead to meaningful growth. Image: Randall Kenan (photo by Donn Young). 2020. UNC Chapel Hill. https://college.unc.edu/2020/08/randall-kenan/.

In this episode, I offer some of the philosophies and ideologies that have guided people's treatment of each other throughout the history of the American South. The purpose of this episode is to offer the groundwork needed for the next two episodes. My goal is to articulate those ideas in such a way that you can more easily understand how they shaped history. Image: Africa Is Way Bigger Than You Think. 2015. Scientific American. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/africa-is-way-bigger-than-you-think/.

This episode went long -- very long. Nonetheless, the information contained here will give you an overview of four main categories of gender roles in the American South: white males, white females, black males, and black females. This conversation sets out a foundation for your understanding of any further reading you might do on this subject, though it also gives us the tools we will need to understand the next four episodes, which will all be on race. Image: Ella Baker. 2015. One.org. https://www.one.org/us/blog/7-kick-ass-women-civil-rights-leaders-you-need-to-know/. Full acknowledgement: I used the image cited above in the hopes that you will go to the article and read about these seven extraordinary women.

This episode explores two basic terms used in the social sciences - sex and gender. Though these terms have many other definitions associated with them, my goal is to provide an overview of the specific definitions so that my audience can understand how they can be used to analyze gender in the American South. The definitions are by no means exhaustive, but they will give the framework needed for you to explore those concepts further on your own. Sex and gender (and human sexuality) are complicated ideas; this podcast episode can serve as an entryway to the study of those concepts. Image: Will Ferrell Dresses as Little Debbie on Tonight Show. 2015. People. https://people.com/tv/will-ferrell-dresses-as-little-debbie-on-tonight-show/.

This episode turned into a monster, so be prepared for a longer account than usual. It is because there is so much ground to cover on any given topic, so the one topic I did pick -- the idea of race -- offered a lot of ground to cover. Nonetheless, I skim through many important writers and what they have to say about the experience of race in the American South. My goal is to show that the South has a rich literary tradition with a great deal of complex, compelling works that challenge, undermine, or influence how we understand the history of this region. My list is not exhaustive, but I attempted to use my time to give you, my listener, an idea about how to start your journey into writing about this region. Image: Angelou reciting "On the Pulse of Morning" at the First Inauguration of Bill Clinton. 1993. Wikimedia Commons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Pulse_of_Morning#/media/File:Angelou_at_Clinton_inauguration.jpg.

In this episode we examine the role that art plays in any given culture, and we then use a story about the American South to consider how one particular author, William Faulkner and his "Odor of Verbena", can reflect and challenge traditions from the region. The goal of this essay is to help you to see why we must study writing as a part of any culture. By understanding this goal, you will have a better grasp of the role literature and art play in a culture. Image: Carl Van Vechten - William Faulkner. 1954. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carl_Van_Vechten_-_William_Faulkner.png.

In this episode we're going to give an overview of the economy of the South. To be clear, this episode is not intended to get into the granular details of the South's economic history -- there is no way to do this in 30-40 minutes -- but the episodes does offer the tools you will need to 1) analyze how the economic basis of a society governs its culture and 2) information you will need to understand this concept in relation to the South. Keep in mind I skim through a lot of information here because my goal is to give a wide overview. For more details, I would strongly suggest doing supplemental reading that will help you to understand date ranges, famous people associated with the economy (e.g. - Eliza Lucas or Henry Grady), and the details associated with specific locations (such as rice in South Carolina). Image: A Postcard Image Titled A Southern Tobacco Field. 2011. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:D-885._A_Southern_tobacco_field_(5756038806).jpg.

In this episode, I offer an overview of culture, including some definitions that will be useful, a thought experiment that will serve you well on your journey into culture, and some specific examples of culture from around the world. The goal of the episode is to get you to think about how pervasive culture is in all our lives and how it can influence all of our thinking, perhaps even in negative ways. Photo: Me! This is from a backroad in Stanly County, North Carolina.

This is a long episode, but it captures the four main groups discussed in the reading, and it provides some inroads you can use to further explore those groups. As I noted at the end, this podcast is by necessity brief, and I wish I could speak for an hour about each of the ones I cover. Since I tried to keep it short, use what I shared as a springboard to read and learn more. For anyone who is interested, here is some additional information: Episode 1 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv_6IjzVm2E&feature=emb_logo The textbook from our course: https://www.amazon.com/Southern-Culture-Introduction-John-Beck/dp/1611631041/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=southern+culture+an+introduction&qid=1610381549&sr=8-1 Image: Map of the Black Belt. 2017. NCRP. https://www.ncrp.org/publications/as-the-south-grows/on-fertile-soil/on-fertile-soil-voices-from-the-deep-south. Accessed 11 Jan. 2021.

We covered a lot of ground in this podcast series, but one important question is worth returning to here at the end (or the beginning?): Why in the world does this content matter? With math we can balance our checkbooks, with accounting we can make sure we never bounce a check, with science we can stop space rocks from destroying us, and with public speaking we can move the masses. But what about literature? Why bother? This episode addresses that important question, though keep in mind that I offer the fair warning that this is very much my opinion. Image: Me. I took this one of one of my bookcases.

In this episode we briefly explore two of America's greatest poets, Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. Though our introduction is short, I share some of the common themes that run through their work, and I talk give a few keys to help you as you read through their poems. These poets are well worth your time, especially since they explore topics we have seen much in the prior content of the course. This is also the final episode in the first season of this podcast channel. As I note towards the end, it has been great fun to make these, and I hope you have found them useful. I will be shifting to a new 'season' soon as I cover content for other courses. Image: Hollyer, Samuel. Image of Walt Whitman for Leaves of Grass. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaves_of_Grass#/media/File:Walt_Whitman,_steel_engraving,_July_1854.jpg. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.

In this episode, we examine the contributions to American literature made by Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass. Though the episode does not break down the plot of these texts, it does provide an overview of some of the common themes running throughout their works. Use the information here to better navigate those texts and to understand why we ought to study their works as an important part of our educational journey through the writings of this time period. Also, and as I said at the end of the episode, please don't hesitate to email me for suggested resources for this subject. A half hour isn't nearly enough time to cover the impact that these two individuals had upon the United States. Image: Warren, George Kendall. Image of Frederick Douglass. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass#/media/File:Frederick_Douglass_(circa_1879).jpg. Accessed 2 Nov. 2020.

In this episode I provide some foundation for your study of Emerson and Thoreau. Though I cover a lot of ground, there is still much, much more to study. These are not easy texts, so my goal is to give you the foundations you need to properly engage with the texts rather than, as with some of the prior readings, walking you through them point by point. As you listen, consider how the ideas in the texts challenge your understanding of the world, reality, and worship. By seeing these concepts as a living part of our world, you will undoubtedly find yourself returning to them throughout the rest of your life. Image: Maxham, Benjamin. Image of Henry David Thoreau. Mental Floss, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/82020/11-simple-facts-about-henry-david-thoreau. Accessed 25 Oct. 2020.

Our studies have recently shifted to people who are writing for the sake of evoking an American character in their work. Irving and others sought to capture the new nation through monsters and folksy tales, and those tales are now embedded in our national consciousness. The focus now shifts to those who continue that tradition while seeking to defy some of the optimism of the Enlightenment. These authors, such Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, reveled in the unknown, thereby implicitly arguing that there is something unreachable in nature, what might possibly be termed the 'noumenon' of Kantian transcendental idealism. This episode focuses on Hawthorne's work so that it might show the way this author manifests those goals in his short fiction. Image: Dore, Gustave. Dudley Street, Seven Dials. Victorian Web, http://www.victorianweb.org/history/london/7dials.html. Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.

To this point in our course, we have been studying people who telling stories about creation, exploring, colonizing, conquering, creating a revolution, or hungry (or any combination of those). We now move to authors who are creating art that represents the American character as we know it today. They have created symbols, plots, and characters we know, and sometimes those are more complex than they may initially seem. In addition, we see authors struggling with the purpose of fiction. Is it good? Is it bad? How does it influence its audience? This episode briefly explores those ideas and sets the stage for the remainder of our semester. Image: Quidor, John. Ichabod Crane Flying from the Headless Horseman. Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin, vol. 39, no. 1, 1984, pp. 12–19. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40514264. Accessed 16 Oct. 2020.

In this episode, we pause to consider the various voices emerging out of the American Revolution. Though our class concentrates upon the literature of the United States prior to 1865, the voices emerging out of this larger dialogue can help us to see that the past is not so different from the present. Several debates in the public space right now misunderstand these documents; by reading the material and hearing these author first hand, you can better navigate those public conversations without being misled by oversimplified summaries. Image: "Judith Sargent Murray, the Forgotten Revolutionary." New England Historical Society, https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/judith-sargent-murray-2/. Accessed 5 Oct 2020.

In this episode, I offer a few key concepts needed to understand the arguments made by Thomas Paine in his work Common Sense. Though his work would have been more or less easily accessible to his contemporaries, it can prove dense to a modern audience. I offer the gist of the three sections of his work that we read, and this basis should help guide you through your reading. Image: "Thomas Paine, Political Activist." ThoughtCo, https://www.thoughtco.com/thomas-paine-4768840. Accessed 28 Sept 2020.

In this episode, I provide some background information on the slave trade, a bit of information on Equiano himself, and some ideas you can look for in his work. This is a difficult topic to address, but my hope is that by listening to a brief summary of the horrors of the slave trade that you will better be able to appreciate Equiano's value in representing millions of people who would otherwise go unheard. I also address in this episode some of the contemporary ways people criticize slavery; my hope is that you will now better be equipped to understand how those criticisms/ideas are unambiguously wrong. Image: "Equaino by Daniel Orme, Frontispiece of His Auotbiography." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaudah_Equiano#/media/File:Daniel_Orme,_W._Denton_-_Olaudah_Equiano_(Gustavus_Vassa),_1789.png. Accessed 23 Sept 2020.

In this episode, we will examine some of the essential keys needed to understand Franklin's Autobiography. These keys can give you inroads to understand his personality and his work, though keep in mind that the size and scope of his writing means that others are available as well. My intent is to provide some historical information about Franklin and to demonstrate that he was a flawed human being who nonetheless was able to rise to prominence based on his intelligence and industry. Image: "The Eponym of the Effect, Benjamin Franklin." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Franklin_effect#/media/File:Franklin-Benjamin-LOC.jpg. Accessed 21 Sept 2020.

This episode discusses some of the historical and theological ideas that can help you better understand these two men and their works. Though this is not an exhaustive list of concepts, it should provide some basic keys to help you unlock the concepts both writers have addressed. As I noted in the episode, these concepts are not dead to us; by seeking to understand them in the past, we might better understand our own lives or those of the people around us. Image: "Jonathan Edwards, engraving, 18th century." Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jonathan-Edwards/images-videos. Accessed 10 Sept 2020.

To this point in the course we have studied a great number of texts written by men for other men. This episode--which is a little longer than usual--concentrates on unlocking the complicated lives of two women whose experiences illustrate both their own personal desires and the world around them. Anne Bradstreet was a clever, intelligent woman who was a member of a culture that forty years later came to fear the power women might hold; her desires, doubts, and arguments could not be plainly presented, so they are nestled inside of other tropes. On the other hand, Mary Rowlandson's account stands the test of time and is still read in Bible studies today, for it shows the solid foundation that unshakable faith can provide to a person in dire times. It also shows the basic humanity of Native Americans, though Rowlandson sometimes misses this herself. Image: Garrett, Edmund. "Frontispiece for an Account of Anne Bradstreet, Puritan Poetess, and Kindred Topics." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Bradstreet#/media/File:Frontispiece_for_An_Account_of_Anne_Bradstreet_The_Puritan_Poetess,_and_Kindred_Topics,_edited_by_Colonel_Luther_Caldwell_(Boston,_1898)_(cropped).jpg. Accessed 31 Aug 2020.

In this episode we explore the background needed to understand the movement of English-speaking colonists into the Chesapeake Bay and Cape Cod areas. This episode is presented as a way to give you inroads into these writers and their works, though there is still much, much more to learn. The episode also explores the question of "Why do we need to read these works in a class on literature? What benefits can we gain from them?" Picture credit: Me! I took this when I visited the Jamestown Colony in 2020. For more images, see: https://www.instagram.com/mr.john.bowman/

This episode offers you some insight into Columbus, de Vaca, and Champlain by giving you some key insights into the reasons for their narratives, the framing of their writing, and the main characteristics of their various purposes. There is much, much more to explore, but this gives some general overview into their presentation so that you can better understand the reading in the Bedford Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 2. Episode image (Since Columbus kidnapped the Taino, I think it more fitting to include de Vaca.): Ealmagro. Munumento a Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81lvar_N%C3%BA%C3%B1ez_Cabeza_de_Vaca#/media/File:Cabeza_de_Vaca1.jpg.

This episode follows your reading for the Native Americans in The Bedford Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 2. Make sure to see the specific page numbers required as found in the course module. Episode image: Engel, Jordan. Tsalagi Map of the United States. The Decolonial Atlas, https://decolonialatlas.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/the-united-states-in-cherokee-part-ii/.