Podcasts about southern studies

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Best podcasts about southern studies

Latest podcast episodes about southern studies

American History Hit
Darkest Hours: Brother Against Brother

American History Hit

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2026 36:05


There is no question that the Civil War is one of the darkest chapters in American history. With roughly 2.5 percent of the population lost, a higher number of Americans than in both World Wars combined.In portraying the war in history, however, we often focus on the tragic division of loyalties in the the United States - the predicament of brother fighting brother.To discuss this idea - where it came from, how true it is and how it has been used by various parties - Don is joined once more by Aaron Sheehan-Dean. Aaron is the Fred C. Frey Professor of Southern Studies at Louisiana State University, and author of ‘Reckoning With Rebellion: War and Sovereignty in the Nineteenth Century'.This is the first in a series on America's Darkest Hours. In the coming weeks we will explore the Great Depression, the Kent State Shootings and the origins of slavery.Edited by Aidan Lonergan, produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  All music from Epidemic Sounds.American History Hit is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Books in African American Studies
Blair Kelley, "Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class" (LIveright, 2023)

New Books in African American Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2026 45:01


In the United States, the stoicism and importance of the “working class” is part of the national myth. The term is often used to conjure the contributions and challenges of the white working class – and this obscures the ways in which Black workers built institutions like the railroads and universities – but also how they transformed unions, changed public policy, and established community.  In Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class (LIveright, 2023), Dr. Blair LM Kelley restores the Black working class to the center of the American story by interrogating the lives of laundresses, Pullman porters, domestic maids, and postal workers. The book is both a personal journey and a history of Black labor in the United States from enslavement to the present day with a focus on a critical era: after Southern Emancipation to the early 20th century, when the first generations of Black working people carved out a world for themselves. Dr. Kelley captures the character of the lives of Black workers not only as laborers, activists, or members of a class but as individuals whose daily experiences mattered – to themselves, to their communities, and to “the nation at large, even as it denied their importance.” As she weaves together rich oral histories, memoirs, photographs, and secondary sources, she shows how Black workers of all genders were “intertwined with the future of Black freedom, Black citizenship, and the establishment of civil rights for Black Americans.” She demonstrates how her own family's experiences mirrors this wider history of the Black working class – sometimes in ways that she herself did not realize before writing the book. Even as the book confronts violence, poor working conditions, and a government that often legislated to protect the interests of white workers and consumers, Black Folk celebrates the ways in which Black people “built and rebuilt vital spaces of resistance, grounded in the secrets that they knew about themselves, about their community, their dignity, and their survival.” Black Folk looks back but also forward. In examining the labor and challenges of individuals, Dr. Kelley sheds light on reparations and suggests that Amazon package processing centers, supermarkets, and nursing homes can be spaces of resistance and labor activism in the 21st century. Dr. Blair LM Kelley is the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South, the first Black woman to serve in that role in the center's thirty-year history. She is also the author of Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson from the University of North Carolina Press. Dr. Kelley mentions Dr. Tera W. Hunter's To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women's Lives and Labors After the Civil War, Duke University's Behind the Veil oral history project, and Philip R. Rubio's There's Always Work at the Post Office: African American Postal Workers and the Fight for Jobs, Justice, and Equality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

Take On The South
Buc-ee's is Overrated?! | Southern Hot Takes Pt.3

Take On The South

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2025 19:18


Mark sits down with two Southern Studies students, Ava and Sophie, as they give their honest opinions on Southern hot takes collected from people in the local area. This is Part 3 of the 3-Part series.Follow us on Take on the South socials!https://linktr.ee/sostatusc#podcast #history #hottakes #debate #hottake #sweettea #bucees

Take On The South
Southerners Can't Drive?! | Southern Hot Takes Pt.2

Take On The South

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2025 19:20


Mark sits down with two Southern Studies students, Ava and Sophie, as they give their honest opinions on Southern hot takes collected from people in the local area. This is Part 2 of the 3-Part series.Follow us on Take on the South socials!https://linktr.ee/sostatusc#podcast #history #hottakes #debate #hottake #driving #bbq

Take On The South
Sweet Tea is Bad?! | Southern Hot Takes Pt.1

Take On The South

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2025 21:02


Mark sits down with two Southern Studies students, Ava and Sophie, as they give their honest opinions on Southern hot takes collected from people in the local area. This is Part 1 of the 3-Part series.Follow us on Take on the South socials!https://linktr.ee/sostatusc#podcast #history #hottakes #debate #hottake

Vision Podcast
Vision Podcast 92 - Dr. Ted Atkinson and his new book, Monumental Designs: Infrastructure and the Culture of the Tennessee Valley Authority

Vision Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2025 24:57


In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Ted Atkinson, Professor in the Department of English. He recently published a new book titled “Monumental Designs: Infrastructure and the Culture of the Tennessee Valley Authority.” We have him on to learn about his research and the new publication.

Take On The South
From Southern Studies to Chairman of the Board: Talking with Thad Westbrook

Take On The South

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2025 49:09


On this episode, Mark sits down with Thad Westbrook, Chairman of the University of South Carolina's Board of Trustees. They discuss his responsibilities as chairman of the university, his future plans for the school, and how his undergraduate experience at USC, particularly in Southern Studies, shaped the way he serves his communities.Follow us on Take on the South socials!https://linktr.ee/sostatusc#podcast #southcarolina #university #history #gamecocks #chairman #civilwar #inflation #AI #chatgpt

The Weight
"Many Souths" with John T. Edge

The Weight

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2025 46:10 Transcription Available


Shownotes:John T. Edge joins Chris and Eddie for a conversation that takes them all over the South. John T. is a writer, commentator, the former director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, and host of the television show True South. He is the director of the Mississippi Lab at the University of Mississippi, and his latest passion project is the Greenfield Farm Writers Residency, which will offer space for writers of all kinds to step away from the real world and put their focus and attention on their writing project, whether that's a song, a poem, a novel, or a scientific paper.John T. earned his MA in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College. He has written or edited more than a dozen books and has written columns for the Oxford American and the New York Times. He has also been featured on NPR's All Things Considered as well as CBS Sunday Morning and Iron Chef.Most importantly, he firmly believes that Birmingham, Alabama, is a Southern city, no matter what Chris says.Resources:John T.'s websiteGreenfield Farm Writers ResidencyTrue South

Dan Snow's History Hit
The Origins of Jim Crow

Dan Snow's History Hit

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2025 35:36


The Jim Crow era is one of the darkest periods in American history. The country was divided by laws, customs and etiquettes that demeaned African Americans and segregated them from white Americans. But how exactly did this era begin? And was post-Civil War America always destined for racial segregation?To answer this question we're joined by Aaron Sheehan-Dean, a Professor of Southern Studies at Louisiana State University. He explains why America's attempts to build a multiracial democracy after the Civil War failed, and how the wheels of Jim Crow were set in motion.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

New Books Network
Joseph Straus, "Cultural Narratives of Old Age in the Lives, Work, and Reception of Old Musicians" (Routledge, 2024)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2025 43:50


Cultural Narratives of Old Age in the Lives, Work, and Reception of Old Musicians (Routledge, 2024) discusses the creative work of old musicians—composers, performers, listeners, and scholars—and how those forms of music- making are received and understood. Joseph Straus argues that composing oldly, performing oldly, and listening oldly are distinctive and valuable ways of making music—a difference, not a deficit; to be celebrated, not ignored or condemned. This book follows Age Studies in seeing old age through a cultural lens, as something created and understood in culture. Straus' text seeks to identify the ways that old musicians (composers, performers, listeners, and scholars) accept, resist, adapt, and transform the cultural scripts for the performance of old age. Musicking oldly (making music in old age) often represents an attempt to rewrite ageist cultural scripts and to find ways of flourishing musically in a largely hostile landscape. Joseph Straus is Distinguished Professor of Music at the City University of New York Graduate Center, specializing in music since 1900. He has written technical music-theoretical articles, analytical studies of music by a variety of modernist composers, and, more recently, a series of articles and books that engage disability as a cultural practice. You can also listen to his episodes on SMT-POD in which he further discusses musicking in old age. Emily Ruth Allen is an Instructor in Music History and Southern Studies at the University of South Carolina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

New Books in Dance
Joseph Straus, "Cultural Narratives of Old Age in the Lives, Work, and Reception of Old Musicians" (Routledge, 2024)

New Books in Dance

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2025 43:50


Cultural Narratives of Old Age in the Lives, Work, and Reception of Old Musicians (Routledge, 2024) discusses the creative work of old musicians—composers, performers, listeners, and scholars—and how those forms of music- making are received and understood. Joseph Straus argues that composing oldly, performing oldly, and listening oldly are distinctive and valuable ways of making music—a difference, not a deficit; to be celebrated, not ignored or condemned. This book follows Age Studies in seeing old age through a cultural lens, as something created and understood in culture. Straus' text seeks to identify the ways that old musicians (composers, performers, listeners, and scholars) accept, resist, adapt, and transform the cultural scripts for the performance of old age. Musicking oldly (making music in old age) often represents an attempt to rewrite ageist cultural scripts and to find ways of flourishing musically in a largely hostile landscape. Joseph Straus is Distinguished Professor of Music at the City University of New York Graduate Center, specializing in music since 1900. He has written technical music-theoretical articles, analytical studies of music by a variety of modernist composers, and, more recently, a series of articles and books that engage disability as a cultural practice. You can also listen to his episodes on SMT-POD in which he further discusses musicking in old age. Emily Ruth Allen is an Instructor in Music History and Southern Studies at the University of South Carolina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/performing-arts

New Books in Sociology
Joseph Straus, "Cultural Narratives of Old Age in the Lives, Work, and Reception of Old Musicians" (Routledge, 2024)

New Books in Sociology

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2025 43:50


Cultural Narratives of Old Age in the Lives, Work, and Reception of Old Musicians (Routledge, 2024) discusses the creative work of old musicians—composers, performers, listeners, and scholars—and how those forms of music- making are received and understood. Joseph Straus argues that composing oldly, performing oldly, and listening oldly are distinctive and valuable ways of making music—a difference, not a deficit; to be celebrated, not ignored or condemned. This book follows Age Studies in seeing old age through a cultural lens, as something created and understood in culture. Straus' text seeks to identify the ways that old musicians (composers, performers, listeners, and scholars) accept, resist, adapt, and transform the cultural scripts for the performance of old age. Musicking oldly (making music in old age) often represents an attempt to rewrite ageist cultural scripts and to find ways of flourishing musically in a largely hostile landscape. Joseph Straus is Distinguished Professor of Music at the City University of New York Graduate Center, specializing in music since 1900. He has written technical music-theoretical articles, analytical studies of music by a variety of modernist composers, and, more recently, a series of articles and books that engage disability as a cultural practice. You can also listen to his episodes on SMT-POD in which he further discusses musicking in old age. Emily Ruth Allen is an Instructor in Music History and Southern Studies at the University of South Carolina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

New Books in Music
Joseph Straus, "Cultural Narratives of Old Age in the Lives, Work, and Reception of Old Musicians" (Routledge, 2024)

New Books in Music

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2025 43:50


Cultural Narratives of Old Age in the Lives, Work, and Reception of Old Musicians (Routledge, 2024) discusses the creative work of old musicians—composers, performers, listeners, and scholars—and how those forms of music- making are received and understood. Joseph Straus argues that composing oldly, performing oldly, and listening oldly are distinctive and valuable ways of making music—a difference, not a deficit; to be celebrated, not ignored or condemned. This book follows Age Studies in seeing old age through a cultural lens, as something created and understood in culture. Straus' text seeks to identify the ways that old musicians (composers, performers, listeners, and scholars) accept, resist, adapt, and transform the cultural scripts for the performance of old age. Musicking oldly (making music in old age) often represents an attempt to rewrite ageist cultural scripts and to find ways of flourishing musically in a largely hostile landscape. Joseph Straus is Distinguished Professor of Music at the City University of New York Graduate Center, specializing in music since 1900. He has written technical music-theoretical articles, analytical studies of music by a variety of modernist composers, and, more recently, a series of articles and books that engage disability as a cultural practice. You can also listen to his episodes on SMT-POD in which he further discusses musicking in old age. Emily Ruth Allen is an Instructor in Music History and Southern Studies at the University of South Carolina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/music

In Conversation
In Conversation: Theodore Pratt, FAU, and Florida Historical Writing

In Conversation

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2025 39:30


Taylor Hagood, Professor of American Literature at Florida Atlantic University, joins Dean Michael Horswell in our latest edition of In Conversation. They discuss author Theodore Pratt and his literary work detailing Florida society from the late 1800s to the middle of the twentieth century.Taylor Hagood is Professor of American Literature in FAU's English Department. Much of his scholarship has focused on the writing of William Faulkner, African American literature, Gothic and horror literature, and the literature of the United States South. Among his literary critical publications are the coedited volume Undead Souths: The Gothic and Beyond in Southern Literature and Culture and the monograph, Faulkner, Writer of Disability, winner of the C. Hugh Holman Award for Best Book in Southern Studies. Along with his literary critical work, Professor Hagood has written nonfiction, biography, and true crime. His 2023 book, Stringbean: The Life and Murder of a Country Music Legend, explores the story of David "Stringbean" Akeman. His most recent book, Theodore Pratt: A Florida Writer's Life, draws upon the Pratt archive in FAU's Special Collections to present the life story of the mid-twentieth century's "Literary Laureate of Florida."

In Conversation
In Conversation: Theodore Pratt, FAU, and Florida Historical Writing

In Conversation

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2025 1:07


Taylor Hagood, Professor of American Literature at Florida Atlantic University, joins Dean Michael Horswell in our latest edition of In Conversation. They discuss author Theodore Pratt and his literary work detailing Florida society from the late 1800s to the middle of the twentieth century.Taylor Hagood is Professor of American Literature in FAU's English Department. Much of his scholarship has focused on the writing of William Faulkner, African American literature, Gothic and horror literature, and the literature of the United States South. Among his literary critical publications are the coedited volume Undead Souths: The Gothic and Beyond in Southern Literature and Culture and the monograph, Faulkner, Writer of Disability, winner of the C. Hugh Holman Award for Best Book in Southern Studies. Along with his literary critical work, Professor Hagood has written nonfiction, biography, and true crime. His 2023 book, Stringbean: The Life and Murder of a Country Music Legend, explores the story of David "Stringbean" Akeman. His most recent book, Theodore Pratt: A Florida Writer's Life, draws upon the Pratt archive in FAU's Special Collections to present the life story of the mid-twentieth century's "Literary Laureate of Florida."

The Chauncey DeVega Show
Ep. 422: The Black Working Class are the Beating Heart of American Democracy

The Chauncey DeVega Show

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2024 144:33


Blair Kelley is an award-winning author, historian, and scholar of the African American experience. She is currently the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and the incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South, the first Black woman to serve in that role in the center's thirty-year history. Her new book is Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class. Blair Kelly discusses the relationship of the Black working class to the American story of striving, struggle, hope, endurance, tragedy, and triumph along the color line. She also intervenes against a dominant narrative that erases the Black working class from how the country's news media and other elites and general public conceptualizes what it means to be a “real American” and member of the “working class” in the Age of Trump and this era of authoritarian populist backlash and rage. Chauncey and Blair also reflect on their own experiences as proud members of the Black working class, and how they navigate being in elite spaces where that identity and experience makes many people uncomfortable and uncertain. Chauncey DeVega continues to work through our collective emotions and the public mood in the aftermath of the 2024 Election, this time of growing dread, and Trump's imminent return to the White House. Chauncey also shares two powerful recent essays on Trump's return to power and this time of moral and larger societal crisis. And Chauncey DeVega travels to the local cineplex and proceeds to share his reviews of the new movies Queer, Werewolves, Day of the Fight, and The Order. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: chaunceydevega@gmail.com HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via PayPal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow

Take On The South
S4E8--Students of the South: DINKWADS in Greenville with Sophie deMaine

Take On The South

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2024 23:09


In this episode, Matt chats with Sophie deMaine, a rising sophomore at the University of South Carolina and the second recipient of the 2024 Neuffer Family Scholarship in Southern Studies. Sophie reflects on growing up in Greenville, a town now being transformed by DINKWADs—dual-income, no kids, with a dog households. She discusses how the town's vibe has changed and the challenges of dealing with Northern classmates' negative stereotypes of the South. Follow us on Take on the South socials! https://linktr.ee/sostatusc

Take On The South
S4E7--Students of the South: Sweet Tea & COLA with Addy Lee

Take On The South

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2024 36:35


In this episode, Matt chats with Addy Lee, a senior at the University of South Carolina and one of the two recipients of the 2024 Neuffer Family Scholarship in Southern Studies. Addy discusses growing up in Columbia, South Carolina, and the contrasts between her Southern roots and Northern family background. She also shares her journey in Southern Studies and her plans after graduating in May. Follow us on Take on the South socials! https://linktr.ee/sostatusc

New Books in African American Studies
Kendra Y. Hamilton, "Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess" (U Georgia Press, 2024)

New Books in African American Studies

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2024 70:00


Dr. Kendra Y. Hamilton's Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess (University of Georgia Press, 2024) is a literary and cultural history of the Gullah Geechee Coast, a four-state area that is one of only a handful of places that can truly be said to be the “cradle of Black culture” in the United States. An African American ethnic group who predominantly live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida within the coastal plain and the Sea Islands, the Gullah people have preserved a significant influence of Africanisms because of their unique geographic isolation.  This book seeks to fill a significant cultural gap in Gullah history. While there is a veritable industry of books on literary Charleston and on the Lowcountry, along with a plenitude of Gullah-inspired studies in history, anthropology, linguistics, folklore, and religion, there has never been a comprehensive study of the region's literary influence, particularly in the years of the Harlem and Charleston Renaissance. By giving voice to artists and culture makers, uncovering buried histories, and revealing secret cross-racial connections amid official practices of Jim Crow, Hamilton sheds new light on an incomplete cultural history. Dr. Kendra Y. Hamilton is an associate professor of English and Director of Southern Studies at Presbyterian College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

New Books Network
Kendra Y. Hamilton, "Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess" (U Georgia Press, 2024)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2024 70:00


Dr. Kendra Y. Hamilton's Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess (University of Georgia Press, 2024) is a literary and cultural history of the Gullah Geechee Coast, a four-state area that is one of only a handful of places that can truly be said to be the “cradle of Black culture” in the United States. An African American ethnic group who predominantly live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida within the coastal plain and the Sea Islands, the Gullah people have preserved a significant influence of Africanisms because of their unique geographic isolation.  This book seeks to fill a significant cultural gap in Gullah history. While there is a veritable industry of books on literary Charleston and on the Lowcountry, along with a plenitude of Gullah-inspired studies in history, anthropology, linguistics, folklore, and religion, there has never been a comprehensive study of the region's literary influence, particularly in the years of the Harlem and Charleston Renaissance. By giving voice to artists and culture makers, uncovering buried histories, and revealing secret cross-racial connections amid official practices of Jim Crow, Hamilton sheds new light on an incomplete cultural history. Dr. Kendra Y. Hamilton is an associate professor of English and Director of Southern Studies at Presbyterian College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

New Books in History
Kendra Y. Hamilton, "Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess" (U Georgia Press, 2024)

New Books in History

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2024 70:00


Dr. Kendra Y. Hamilton's Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess (University of Georgia Press, 2024) is a literary and cultural history of the Gullah Geechee Coast, a four-state area that is one of only a handful of places that can truly be said to be the “cradle of Black culture” in the United States. An African American ethnic group who predominantly live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida within the coastal plain and the Sea Islands, the Gullah people have preserved a significant influence of Africanisms because of their unique geographic isolation.  This book seeks to fill a significant cultural gap in Gullah history. While there is a veritable industry of books on literary Charleston and on the Lowcountry, along with a plenitude of Gullah-inspired studies in history, anthropology, linguistics, folklore, and religion, there has never been a comprehensive study of the region's literary influence, particularly in the years of the Harlem and Charleston Renaissance. By giving voice to artists and culture makers, uncovering buried histories, and revealing secret cross-racial connections amid official practices of Jim Crow, Hamilton sheds new light on an incomplete cultural history. Dr. Kendra Y. Hamilton is an associate professor of English and Director of Southern Studies at Presbyterian College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

New Books in Literary Studies
Kendra Y. Hamilton, "Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess" (U Georgia Press, 2024)

New Books in Literary Studies

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2024 70:00


Dr. Kendra Y. Hamilton's Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess (University of Georgia Press, 2024) is a literary and cultural history of the Gullah Geechee Coast, a four-state area that is one of only a handful of places that can truly be said to be the “cradle of Black culture” in the United States. An African American ethnic group who predominantly live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida within the coastal plain and the Sea Islands, the Gullah people have preserved a significant influence of Africanisms because of their unique geographic isolation.  This book seeks to fill a significant cultural gap in Gullah history. While there is a veritable industry of books on literary Charleston and on the Lowcountry, along with a plenitude of Gullah-inspired studies in history, anthropology, linguistics, folklore, and religion, there has never been a comprehensive study of the region's literary influence, particularly in the years of the Harlem and Charleston Renaissance. By giving voice to artists and culture makers, uncovering buried histories, and revealing secret cross-racial connections amid official practices of Jim Crow, Hamilton sheds new light on an incomplete cultural history. Dr. Kendra Y. Hamilton is an associate professor of English and Director of Southern Studies at Presbyterian College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

New Books in American Studies
Kendra Y. Hamilton, "Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess" (U Georgia Press, 2024)

New Books in American Studies

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2024 70:00


Dr. Kendra Y. Hamilton's Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess (University of Georgia Press, 2024) is a literary and cultural history of the Gullah Geechee Coast, a four-state area that is one of only a handful of places that can truly be said to be the “cradle of Black culture” in the United States. An African American ethnic group who predominantly live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida within the coastal plain and the Sea Islands, the Gullah people have preserved a significant influence of Africanisms because of their unique geographic isolation.  This book seeks to fill a significant cultural gap in Gullah history. While there is a veritable industry of books on literary Charleston and on the Lowcountry, along with a plenitude of Gullah-inspired studies in history, anthropology, linguistics, folklore, and religion, there has never been a comprehensive study of the region's literary influence, particularly in the years of the Harlem and Charleston Renaissance. By giving voice to artists and culture makers, uncovering buried histories, and revealing secret cross-racial connections amid official practices of Jim Crow, Hamilton sheds new light on an incomplete cultural history. Dr. Kendra Y. Hamilton is an associate professor of English and Director of Southern Studies at Presbyterian College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

New Books in the American South
Kendra Y. Hamilton, "Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess" (U Georgia Press, 2024)

New Books in the American South

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2024 70:00


Dr. Kendra Y. Hamilton's Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess (University of Georgia Press, 2024) is a literary and cultural history of the Gullah Geechee Coast, a four-state area that is one of only a handful of places that can truly be said to be the “cradle of Black culture” in the United States. An African American ethnic group who predominantly live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida within the coastal plain and the Sea Islands, the Gullah people have preserved a significant influence of Africanisms because of their unique geographic isolation.  This book seeks to fill a significant cultural gap in Gullah history. While there is a veritable industry of books on literary Charleston and on the Lowcountry, along with a plenitude of Gullah-inspired studies in history, anthropology, linguistics, folklore, and religion, there has never been a comprehensive study of the region's literary influence, particularly in the years of the Harlem and Charleston Renaissance. By giving voice to artists and culture makers, uncovering buried histories, and revealing secret cross-racial connections amid official practices of Jim Crow, Hamilton sheds new light on an incomplete cultural history. Dr. Kendra Y. Hamilton is an associate professor of English and Director of Southern Studies at Presbyterian College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-south

Now You're Talking with Marshall Ramsey
Kate Medley | Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South

Now You're Talking with Marshall Ramsey

Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2024 47:12


Kate Medley is a North Carolina-based visual journalist and filmmaker documenting the American South. Her photography work explores issues of social justice, community, and the shifting politics of states like Mississippi. Her work has been featured in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and her collection “Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South” is currently on display at the Mississippi Museum of Art. She is originally from the Magnolia state, and received a Masters in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi.Marshall Ramsey, a nationally recognized, Emmy award winning editorial cartoonist, shares his cartoons and travels the state as Mississippi Today's Editor-At-Large. He's also host of a "Now You're Talking" on MPB Think Radio and "Conversations" on MPB TV, and is the author of several books. Marshall is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a 2019 recipient of the University of Tennessee Alumni Professional Achievement Award. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Take On The South
2024 McNair Conversation in Southern Studies: Jean Toal

Take On The South

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2024 58:12


Dr. Mark Smith of the Institute for Southern Studies is joined by the 2024 McNair Conversation in Southern Studies Honoree, Chief Justice Jean Toal. This discussion explores the Chief Justice's upbringing in South Carolina, her experience in southern politics, and her signal achievements in the legal field. The McNair Conversation is an annual event in which thinkers, leaders, and just plain interested people from the South are interviewed about their lives and how they understand the region. It is funded in part by a generous grant from the estate of the late Robert McNair, governor of South Carolina from 1965-1971.

The Weight
"Many Souths" with John T. Edge

The Weight

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2024 46:11 Transcription Available


John T. Edge joins Chris and Eddie for a conversation that takes them all over the South. John T. is a writer, commentator, the former director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, and host of the television show True South. He is the director of the Mississippi Lab at the University of Mississippi, and his latest passion project is the Greenfield Farm Writers Residency, which will offer space for writers of all kinds to step away from the real world and put their focus and attention on their writing project, whether that's a song, a poem, a novel, or a scientific paper.John T. earned his MA in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College. He has written or edited more than a dozen books and has written columns for the Oxford American and the New York Times. He has also been featured on NPR's All Things Considered as well as CBS Sunday Morning and Iron Chef.Most importantly, he firmly believes that Birmingham, Alabama, is a Southern city, no matter what Chris says.Resources:John T.'s websiteGreenfield Farm Writers ResidencyTrue South

THNX: A Feelgood Podcast
Episode 189: John T. Edge

THNX: A Feelgood Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2024 51:28


John T. Edge is a writer, commentator, television personality, and, since 1999, the director of the Southern Foodways Alliance. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia, a Master's Degree in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi, and an MFA in Creative Non-Fiction from Groucher College. He has authored several books about food and received a writing award from the James Beard Foundation. He hosts the SEC Network/ESPN show True South. John T. and his wife Blair, along with their son, live in Oxford, Mississipi.

Louisiana Anthology Podcast
555. Randy Gonzales. "St. Malo."

Louisiana Anthology Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2024


555. This week we talk to Randy Gonzales about his poetry book Settling St. Malo. "I am excited about the launch of a book I spent more than a decade writing. My research into Filipino Louisiana started as a way to understand my family's Filipino story. I learned that without the fishermen at St. Malo, the shrimpers at Manila Village, and the seamen who settled in New Orleans, my Filipino ancestors may not have moved to Louisiana. Poetry — attention to sound, rhythm, and the emotional register of words — helped me organize and make sense of research and make it meaningful to me" (Gonzales). "I am a native New Orleanian of Filipino descent; a poet, writer, and community historian who researches and shares the stories of Filipino Louisiana; a scholar and educator, an associate professor of English at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette who holds the Dr. James Wilson/BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Professorship in Southern Studies; a father who wants his children to be proud of their heritage" (Gonzales). This week in Louisiana history. January 8 1815. The Battle of New Orleans took place. This week in New Orleans history. On January 7, 1944, the Liberty ship Leon Godchaux was launched by Delta Shipbuilding Company. This week in Louisiana. The Feast of Epiphany is a Christian feast day commemorating the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, and the wedding at Cana. It's also the beginning of Carnival. Less than two weeks after Christmas, New Orleans begins the reveling anew with its celebration of Twelfth Night. Jan. 6th marks the Feast of the Epiphany, when the Three Wise Men visited the Christ child. In New Orleans it also means the launch of Carnival season. And New Orleans observes it with the Joan of Arc parade that marches through the Quarter. Société Des Champs Elysée rolls down the Rampart - St. Claude Avenue streetcar line nearby. Meanwhile Uptown, the Phunny Phorty Phellows board the St. Charles streetcar for a parade all their own. This is followed by the Funky Uptown Krewe. Postcards from Louisiana. Bubbles Brown at the Apple Barrel on Frenchmen. Listen on Spotify. Listen on TuneIn. The Louisiana Anthology Home Page. Like us on Facebook. 

Working History
Southern Exposure at 50: Sue Thrasher, Bob Hall, and Leah Wise

Working History

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2023 71:24


This week's episode features a panel recorded live at the fiftieth anniversary celebration of Southern Exposure magazine, held in March at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill's Wilson Library. The panel, which reflects on the founding of the Institute for Southern Studies and the creation of Southern Exposure, features Sue Thrasher, a co-founder of the Institute who later worked at the Highlander Center; Leah Wise, one of the Institute's early staff members and later the director of Southerners for Economic Justice; and Bob Hall, the founding editor of Southern Exposure, who spent many years at the Institute and was the longtime executive director of Democracy North Carolina. It is moderated by Chip Hughes, an early Institute staffer himself and occupational health and safety organizer before a career in public health. Produced in partnership with the Institute for Southern Studies. Show Notes: Episode transcription: https://www.facingsouth.org/2023/11/why-we-did-what-we-did-reflections-sue-thrasher-leah-wise-and-bob-hall Visit the Southern Exposure digital archive: https://www.facingsouth.org/southern-exposure A note from the archives editor: https://www.facingsouth.org/2023/03/archive-time-crisis More about the 50th anniversary event: https://www.facingsouth.org/2023/03/gathering-marks-half-century-southern-exposures-founding

university institute wise southerners thrasher economic justice north carolina chapel hill bob hall southern exposure southern studies highlander center democracy north carolina
Take On The South
2023 Neuffer Lecture: An Interview with Ron Rash

Take On The South

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2023 37:24


The speaker for the Institute for Southern Studies' 2023 Neuffer Lecturer in Southern Literature is Ron Rash, a bestselling author of some eight novels, seven books of short stories, and three books of poetry. Before the lecture, he joined Matt Simmons in the podcast studio to discuss his life and work.

institute lecture matt simmons ron rash southern studies southern literature
Take On The South
S3E3--Southern Stories from Family Weekend

Take On The South

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2023 49:57


September 22-24th was Family Weekend at the University of South Carolina, and we in Southern Studies held an open house for students, parents, and family members to come in and tell their Southern stories. This episode features highlights from that open house, with reactions to the South from two Iranians, a New Englander parsing what "just Southern enough" means, and a native Carolinian sharing how she fell in love with home after having trouble finding something to eat in Germany.

Stepping Into Truth:
Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class w/ Blair Kelley

Stepping Into Truth:

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2023 38:48


Often, when we think about racial justice immediately following the Civil War we think about a relatively narrow slice of Black history. Blair LM Kelley's Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class shines a light on stories that we don't hear enough about.  Drawing on stories from her own family and extensive research Blair tells us a compelling tale of Black folk beginning to claim their place in America as free people.  With stories of washerwomen, Pullman Porters, and other Black workers who fought for rights for themselves, started unions, and paved the way for the modern Civil Rights Movement Blair had me captivated from the start. The richness of her book is reflected in the richness of the conversation that we had. Both educational and inspirational, this is a conversation you don't want to miss.  About Blair: Blair LM Kelley, is an award winning author, historian and scholar of the African American experience. A dedicated public historian Kelley works to amplify the histories of black people, chronicling the everyday impact of their activism. Kelley is the Joel R. Williamson, Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and the incoming Director of the Center for the Study of the American South, the first black woman to serve in that role in the center's 30 year history. Kelly's newest book, Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class, draws on family histories and mines the archive to illuminate the adversities and joys of the Black working class in America, both past and present. For a written transcript of this conversation click here. Action Items: 1) Buy and read Blair's book. 2) Spend time in "third spaces". Spaces outside of work and home where we can be in community and invest in one another. 3) Continue to learn about our past and advocate for broader education in our schools as well as in alternative and community learning spaces. Let this book be the beginning of a conversation that expands our knowledge and understanding of this important part of American history. Stay in touch with Blair: Instagram Credits: Harmonica music courtesy of a friend.

KQED’s Forum
‘Black Folk' Centers History and Activist Legacy of Black Working Class

KQED’s Forum

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2023 55:31


“Our national mythos,” writes historian Blair LM Kelley, “leaves little room for Black workers, or to glean any lessons from their history.” Kelley's latest book “Black Folk” offers a corrective, focusing on the lives of Black working people after the Southern Emancipation, the challenges they faced bringing their skills to bear and the networks of resistance they formed. Kelley's book is also personal, grounded in the stories of her own ancestors, including her great, great grandfather, a highly skilled blacksmith who was enslaved. We'll talk to Kelley about the origins of the Black working class and about the people who animate it, then and now. Guests: Blair LM Kelley, Blair LM Kelley, author, "Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class." She is the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies, director of the Center for the Study of the American South, and co-director of Southern Futures at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Unsung History
Pullman Porters & the History of the Black Working Class

Unsung History

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2023 41:55


In the early 20th century, career options for Black workers were limited, and the jobs often came with low pay and poor conditions. Ironically, because they were concentrated in certain jobs, Black workers  sometimes monopolized those jobs and had collective power to demand better conditions and higher pay. The Pullman Company, founded in 1862, hired only Black men to serve as porters on Pullman cars, since George M. Pullman thought that formerly enslaved men would know how to be good, invisible servants and that they would work for low wages. In 1925, the Pullman Porters formed their own union, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, with A. Philip Randolph serving as president. After years of struggle, in 1935, the Pullman Company finally recognized the union, and it was granted a charter by the American Federation of Labor (AFL), making the Brotherhood the first Black union it accepted.  Joining me in this episode to help us learn about the Black working class is historian Dr. Blair L. M. Kelley, the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South and author of Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class. Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is “Pullman Porter Blues,” music and lyrics by Clifford Ulrich and Burton Hamilton; performed by Clarence Williams on September 30, 1921; the recording is in the public domain.The episode image is: “J.W. Mays, Pullman car porter,” photographed by C.M. Bell, 1894; the photograph is in the public domain and available via the Library of Congress. Additional Sources: “George Pullman: His Impact on the Railroad Industry, Labor, and American Life in the Nineteenth Century,” by Rosanne Lichatin,” History Resources, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.  “The Rise and Fall of the Sleeping Car King,” by Jack Kelly, Smithsonian Magazine, January 11, 2019. “The Pullman Strike, by Richard Schneirov, Northern Illinois University Digital Library. “Pullman Porters,” History.com, Originally published February 11, 2019, and updated October 8, 2021. “The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters,” by Brittany Hutchinson, Chicago History Museum. “Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (1925-1978),” by Daren Salter, BlackPast, November 24, 2007. “A. Philip Randolph Was Once “the Most Dangerous Negro in America,” by Peter Dreier, Jacobin, January 31, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in African American Studies
Blair Kelley, "Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class" (LIveright, 2023)

New Books in African American Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2023 45:01


In the United States, the stoicism and importance of the “working class” is part of the national myth. The term is often used to conjure the contributions and challenges of the white working class – and this obscures the ways in which Black workers built institutions like the railroads and universities – but also how they transformed unions, changed public policy, and established community.  In Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class (LIveright, 2023), Dr. Blair LM Kelley restores the Black working class to the center of the American story by interrogating the lives of laundresses, Pullman porters, domestic maids, and postal workers. The book is both a personal journey and a history of Black labor in the United States from enslavement to the present day with a focus on a critical era: after Southern Emancipation to the early 20th century, when the first generations of Black working people carved out a world for themselves. Dr. Kelley captures the character of the lives of Black workers not only as laborers, activists, or members of a class but as individuals whose daily experiences mattered – to themselves, to their communities, and to “the nation at large, even as it denied their importance.” As she weaves together rich oral histories, memoirs, photographs, and secondary sources, she shows how Black workers of all genders were “intertwined with the future of Black freedom, Black citizenship, and the establishment of civil rights for Black Americans.” She demonstrates how her own family's experiences mirrors this wider history of the Black working class – sometimes in ways that she herself did not realize before writing the book. Even as the book confronts violence, poor working conditions, and a government that often legislated to protect the interests of white workers and consumers, Black Folk celebrates the ways in which Black people “built and rebuilt vital spaces of resistance, grounded in the secrets that they knew about themselves, about their community, their dignity, and their survival.” Black Folk looks back but also forward. In examining the labor and challenges of individuals, Dr. Kelley sheds light on reparations and suggests that Amazon package processing centers, supermarkets, and nursing homes can be spaces of resistance and labor activism in the 21st century. Dr. Blair LM Kelley is the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South, the first Black woman to serve in that role in the center's thirty-year history. She is also the author of Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson from the University of North Carolina Press. Dr. Kelley mentions Dr. Tera W. Hunter's To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women's Lives and Labors After the Civil War, Duke University's Behind the Veil oral history project, and Philip R. Rubio's There's Always Work at the Post Office: African American Postal Workers and the Fight for Jobs, Justice, and Equality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

New Books Network
Blair Kelley, "Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class" (LIveright, 2023)

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2023 45:01


In the United States, the stoicism and importance of the “working class” is part of the national myth. The term is often used to conjure the contributions and challenges of the white working class – and this obscures the ways in which Black workers built institutions like the railroads and universities – but also how they transformed unions, changed public policy, and established community.  In Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class (LIveright, 2023), Dr. Blair LM Kelley restores the Black working class to the center of the American story by interrogating the lives of laundresses, Pullman porters, domestic maids, and postal workers. The book is both a personal journey and a history of Black labor in the United States from enslavement to the present day with a focus on a critical era: after Southern Emancipation to the early 20th century, when the first generations of Black working people carved out a world for themselves. Dr. Kelley captures the character of the lives of Black workers not only as laborers, activists, or members of a class but as individuals whose daily experiences mattered – to themselves, to their communities, and to “the nation at large, even as it denied their importance.” As she weaves together rich oral histories, memoirs, photographs, and secondary sources, she shows how Black workers of all genders were “intertwined with the future of Black freedom, Black citizenship, and the establishment of civil rights for Black Americans.” She demonstrates how her own family's experiences mirrors this wider history of the Black working class – sometimes in ways that she herself did not realize before writing the book. Even as the book confronts violence, poor working conditions, and a government that often legislated to protect the interests of white workers and consumers, Black Folk celebrates the ways in which Black people “built and rebuilt vital spaces of resistance, grounded in the secrets that they knew about themselves, about their community, their dignity, and their survival.” Black Folk looks back but also forward. In examining the labor and challenges of individuals, Dr. Kelley sheds light on reparations and suggests that Amazon package processing centers, supermarkets, and nursing homes can be spaces of resistance and labor activism in the 21st century. Dr. Blair LM Kelley is the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South, the first Black woman to serve in that role in the center's thirty-year history. She is also the author of Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson from the University of North Carolina Press. Dr. Kelley mentions Dr. Tera W. Hunter's To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women's Lives and Labors After the Civil War, Duke University's Behind the Veil oral history project, and Philip R. Rubio's There's Always Work at the Post Office: African American Postal Workers and the Fight for Jobs, Justice, and Equality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

New Books in History
Blair Kelley, "Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class" (LIveright, 2023)

New Books in History

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2023 45:01


In the United States, the stoicism and importance of the “working class” is part of the national myth. The term is often used to conjure the contributions and challenges of the white working class – and this obscures the ways in which Black workers built institutions like the railroads and universities – but also how they transformed unions, changed public policy, and established community.  In Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class (LIveright, 2023), Dr. Blair LM Kelley restores the Black working class to the center of the American story by interrogating the lives of laundresses, Pullman porters, domestic maids, and postal workers. The book is both a personal journey and a history of Black labor in the United States from enslavement to the present day with a focus on a critical era: after Southern Emancipation to the early 20th century, when the first generations of Black working people carved out a world for themselves. Dr. Kelley captures the character of the lives of Black workers not only as laborers, activists, or members of a class but as individuals whose daily experiences mattered – to themselves, to their communities, and to “the nation at large, even as it denied their importance.” As she weaves together rich oral histories, memoirs, photographs, and secondary sources, she shows how Black workers of all genders were “intertwined with the future of Black freedom, Black citizenship, and the establishment of civil rights for Black Americans.” She demonstrates how her own family's experiences mirrors this wider history of the Black working class – sometimes in ways that she herself did not realize before writing the book. Even as the book confronts violence, poor working conditions, and a government that often legislated to protect the interests of white workers and consumers, Black Folk celebrates the ways in which Black people “built and rebuilt vital spaces of resistance, grounded in the secrets that they knew about themselves, about their community, their dignity, and their survival.” Black Folk looks back but also forward. In examining the labor and challenges of individuals, Dr. Kelley sheds light on reparations and suggests that Amazon package processing centers, supermarkets, and nursing homes can be spaces of resistance and labor activism in the 21st century. Dr. Blair LM Kelley is the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South, the first Black woman to serve in that role in the center's thirty-year history. She is also the author of Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson from the University of North Carolina Press. Dr. Kelley mentions Dr. Tera W. Hunter's To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women's Lives and Labors After the Civil War, Duke University's Behind the Veil oral history project, and Philip R. Rubio's There's Always Work at the Post Office: African American Postal Workers and the Fight for Jobs, Justice, and Equality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

New Books in Political Science
Blair Kelley, "Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class" (LIveright, 2023)

New Books in Political Science

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2023 45:01


In the United States, the stoicism and importance of the “working class” is part of the national myth. The term is often used to conjure the contributions and challenges of the white working class – and this obscures the ways in which Black workers built institutions like the railroads and universities – but also how they transformed unions, changed public policy, and established community.  In Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class (LIveright, 2023), Dr. Blair LM Kelley restores the Black working class to the center of the American story by interrogating the lives of laundresses, Pullman porters, domestic maids, and postal workers. The book is both a personal journey and a history of Black labor in the United States from enslavement to the present day with a focus on a critical era: after Southern Emancipation to the early 20th century, when the first generations of Black working people carved out a world for themselves. Dr. Kelley captures the character of the lives of Black workers not only as laborers, activists, or members of a class but as individuals whose daily experiences mattered – to themselves, to their communities, and to “the nation at large, even as it denied their importance.” As she weaves together rich oral histories, memoirs, photographs, and secondary sources, she shows how Black workers of all genders were “intertwined with the future of Black freedom, Black citizenship, and the establishment of civil rights for Black Americans.” She demonstrates how her own family's experiences mirrors this wider history of the Black working class – sometimes in ways that she herself did not realize before writing the book. Even as the book confronts violence, poor working conditions, and a government that often legislated to protect the interests of white workers and consumers, Black Folk celebrates the ways in which Black people “built and rebuilt vital spaces of resistance, grounded in the secrets that they knew about themselves, about their community, their dignity, and their survival.” Black Folk looks back but also forward. In examining the labor and challenges of individuals, Dr. Kelley sheds light on reparations and suggests that Amazon package processing centers, supermarkets, and nursing homes can be spaces of resistance and labor activism in the 21st century. Dr. Blair LM Kelley is the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South, the first Black woman to serve in that role in the center's thirty-year history. She is also the author of Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson from the University of North Carolina Press. Dr. Kelley mentions Dr. Tera W. Hunter's To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women's Lives and Labors After the Civil War, Duke University's Behind the Veil oral history project, and Philip R. Rubio's There's Always Work at the Post Office: African American Postal Workers and the Fight for Jobs, Justice, and Equality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

New Books in Critical Theory
Blair Kelley, "Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class" (LIveright, 2023)

New Books in Critical Theory

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2023 45:01


In the United States, the stoicism and importance of the “working class” is part of the national myth. The term is often used to conjure the contributions and challenges of the white working class – and this obscures the ways in which Black workers built institutions like the railroads and universities – but also how they transformed unions, changed public policy, and established community.  In Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class (LIveright, 2023), Dr. Blair LM Kelley restores the Black working class to the center of the American story by interrogating the lives of laundresses, Pullman porters, domestic maids, and postal workers. The book is both a personal journey and a history of Black labor in the United States from enslavement to the present day with a focus on a critical era: after Southern Emancipation to the early 20th century, when the first generations of Black working people carved out a world for themselves. Dr. Kelley captures the character of the lives of Black workers not only as laborers, activists, or members of a class but as individuals whose daily experiences mattered – to themselves, to their communities, and to “the nation at large, even as it denied their importance.” As she weaves together rich oral histories, memoirs, photographs, and secondary sources, she shows how Black workers of all genders were “intertwined with the future of Black freedom, Black citizenship, and the establishment of civil rights for Black Americans.” She demonstrates how her own family's experiences mirrors this wider history of the Black working class – sometimes in ways that she herself did not realize before writing the book. Even as the book confronts violence, poor working conditions, and a government that often legislated to protect the interests of white workers and consumers, Black Folk celebrates the ways in which Black people “built and rebuilt vital spaces of resistance, grounded in the secrets that they knew about themselves, about their community, their dignity, and their survival.” Black Folk looks back but also forward. In examining the labor and challenges of individuals, Dr. Kelley sheds light on reparations and suggests that Amazon package processing centers, supermarkets, and nursing homes can be spaces of resistance and labor activism in the 21st century. Dr. Blair LM Kelley is the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South, the first Black woman to serve in that role in the center's thirty-year history. She is also the author of Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson from the University of North Carolina Press. Dr. Kelley mentions Dr. Tera W. Hunter's To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women's Lives and Labors After the Civil War, Duke University's Behind the Veil oral history project, and Philip R. Rubio's There's Always Work at the Post Office: African American Postal Workers and the Fight for Jobs, Justice, and Equality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

New Books in American Studies
Blair Kelley, "Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class" (LIveright, 2023)

New Books in American Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2023 45:01


In the United States, the stoicism and importance of the “working class” is part of the national myth. The term is often used to conjure the contributions and challenges of the white working class – and this obscures the ways in which Black workers built institutions like the railroads and universities – but also how they transformed unions, changed public policy, and established community.  In Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class (LIveright, 2023), Dr. Blair LM Kelley restores the Black working class to the center of the American story by interrogating the lives of laundresses, Pullman porters, domestic maids, and postal workers. The book is both a personal journey and a history of Black labor in the United States from enslavement to the present day with a focus on a critical era: after Southern Emancipation to the early 20th century, when the first generations of Black working people carved out a world for themselves. Dr. Kelley captures the character of the lives of Black workers not only as laborers, activists, or members of a class but as individuals whose daily experiences mattered – to themselves, to their communities, and to “the nation at large, even as it denied their importance.” As she weaves together rich oral histories, memoirs, photographs, and secondary sources, she shows how Black workers of all genders were “intertwined with the future of Black freedom, Black citizenship, and the establishment of civil rights for Black Americans.” She demonstrates how her own family's experiences mirrors this wider history of the Black working class – sometimes in ways that she herself did not realize before writing the book. Even as the book confronts violence, poor working conditions, and a government that often legislated to protect the interests of white workers and consumers, Black Folk celebrates the ways in which Black people “built and rebuilt vital spaces of resistance, grounded in the secrets that they knew about themselves, about their community, their dignity, and their survival.” Black Folk looks back but also forward. In examining the labor and challenges of individuals, Dr. Kelley sheds light on reparations and suggests that Amazon package processing centers, supermarkets, and nursing homes can be spaces of resistance and labor activism in the 21st century. Dr. Blair LM Kelley is the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South, the first Black woman to serve in that role in the center's thirty-year history. She is also the author of Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson from the University of North Carolina Press. Dr. Kelley mentions Dr. Tera W. Hunter's To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women's Lives and Labors After the Civil War, Duke University's Behind the Veil oral history project, and Philip R. Rubio's There's Always Work at the Post Office: African American Postal Workers and the Fight for Jobs, Justice, and Equality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

New Books in the American South
Blair Kelley, "Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class" (LIveright, 2023)

New Books in the American South

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2023 45:01


In the United States, the stoicism and importance of the “working class” is part of the national myth. The term is often used to conjure the contributions and challenges of the white working class – and this obscures the ways in which Black workers built institutions like the railroads and universities – but also how they transformed unions, changed public policy, and established community.  In Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class (LIveright, 2023), Dr. Blair LM Kelley restores the Black working class to the center of the American story by interrogating the lives of laundresses, Pullman porters, domestic maids, and postal workers. The book is both a personal journey and a history of Black labor in the United States from enslavement to the present day with a focus on a critical era: after Southern Emancipation to the early 20th century, when the first generations of Black working people carved out a world for themselves. Dr. Kelley captures the character of the lives of Black workers not only as laborers, activists, or members of a class but as individuals whose daily experiences mattered – to themselves, to their communities, and to “the nation at large, even as it denied their importance.” As she weaves together rich oral histories, memoirs, photographs, and secondary sources, she shows how Black workers of all genders were “intertwined with the future of Black freedom, Black citizenship, and the establishment of civil rights for Black Americans.” She demonstrates how her own family's experiences mirrors this wider history of the Black working class – sometimes in ways that she herself did not realize before writing the book. Even as the book confronts violence, poor working conditions, and a government that often legislated to protect the interests of white workers and consumers, Black Folk celebrates the ways in which Black people “built and rebuilt vital spaces of resistance, grounded in the secrets that they knew about themselves, about their community, their dignity, and their survival.” Black Folk looks back but also forward. In examining the labor and challenges of individuals, Dr. Kelley sheds light on reparations and suggests that Amazon package processing centers, supermarkets, and nursing homes can be spaces of resistance and labor activism in the 21st century. Dr. Blair LM Kelley is the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South, the first Black woman to serve in that role in the center's thirty-year history. She is also the author of Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson from the University of North Carolina Press. Dr. Kelley mentions Dr. Tera W. Hunter's To ‘Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women's Lives and Labors After the Civil War, Duke University's Behind the Veil oral history project, and Philip R. Rubio's There's Always Work at the Post Office: African American Postal Workers and the Fight for Jobs, Justice, and Equality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-south

Converging Dialogues
#242 - Roots of The Black Working Class: A Dialogue with Blair LM Kelley

Converging Dialogues

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2023 82:36


In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Blair LM Kelley about the roots of the Black working class in the United States. They discuss why she wrote the book with some biographical content along with the historical events, class and race for Black Americans, and the impact of slavery for Black working class folks. They talk about the role of the church for building and organizing community, history of Black washerwomen and their involvement with unions, and the great migration. They also discuss the Porter union, Black maids, current themes with the Black working class, and many more topics. Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D. is an award-winning author, historian, and scholar of the African American experience. Currently, she is the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South. She has her B.A. from the University of Virginia in History and African and African American Studies. She also has her M.A. and Ph.D. in History, and graduate certificates in African and African American Studies and Women's Studies at Duke University. She is the author of two books, Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship, and the latest, Black Folk: The Roots the Black Working Class. Website: https://www.profblmkelley.com/Twitter: @profblmkelleyInstagram: @profblmkelley This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit convergingdialogues.substack.com

Black Girl Nerds
358: Actor Teyonah Parris and Author Blair L.M. Kelley

Black Girl Nerds

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2023 43:01


In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome actor  Teyonah Parris and author Blair L.M. Kelley. Segment 1: Actor Teyonah Parris is best known for portraying Monica Rambeau in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the Disney+ series WandaVision. She will appear in the upcoming film The Marvels reprising the role of Monica and she can currently be seen in the Netflix film They Cloned Tyrone co-starring John Boyega and Jamie Foxx. Hosted by: Jamie Segment 2: Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D. is an award-winning author, historian, and scholar of the African American experience. A dedicated public historian, Kelley works to amplify the histories of Black people, chronicling the everyday impact of their activism. Kelley is currently the Joel R. Williamson Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the incoming director of the Center for the Study of the American South, the first Black woman to serve in that role in the center's thirty-year history. Kelley's newest book, Black Folk: The Roots the Black Working Class, begins with the question “What does it mean to be Black and working class?” Hosted by: Ryanne Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

Take On The South
Student Spotlight: Southern Living Recipes and Evolving Southern Identity

Take On The South

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2023 30:15


Mark Smith talks to Southern Studies alumna Emily Ames (University of South Carolina class of '23) about her senior thesis: an examination of nearly 50 years of recipes in Southern Living magazine. How do these recipes, and their evolution over time, speak to how the South's ideas of itself and the region's place in America? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Take On The South
[VIDEO] Student Spotlight: Southern Living Recipes and Evolving Southern Identity

Take On The South

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2023 28:31


Mark Smith talks to Southern Studies alumna Emily Ames (University of South Carolina class of '23) about her senior thesis: an examination of nearly 50 years of recipes in Southern Living magazine. How do these recipes, and their evolution over time, speak to how the South's ideas of itself and the region's place in America?

Take On The South
S2E17--A Conversation with Lou Kennedy

Take On The South

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2023 48:55


Dr. Mark Smith of the Institute for Southern Studies is joined by the 2023 McNair Conversation in Southern Studies Honoree, Lou Kennedy. Ms. Kennedy is an alumna of the University of South Carolina and the CEO of Nephron Pharmaceuticals. This discussion touches on economic development, the doors a Southern accent opens, and the challenges faced by women in business. The McNair Conversation is an annual event in which thinkers, leaders, and just plain interested people from the South are interviewed about their lives and how they understand the region. It is funded in part by a generous grant from the estate of the late Robert McNair, governor of South Carolina from 1965-1971.

The SavvyCast
Behind the Scenes of Family Savvy: Meet the Team

The SavvyCast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2022 37:45


As Family Savvy has grown over the last few years, so has the wonderful team of people behind it! In this episode, listeners get a behind the scene peek as they meet the faces behind Family Savvy! Episode At A Glance: In this week's episode of The SavvyCast, I invited the members of the Family Savvy team to join me and share their different roles with listeners. I have so enjoyed working with each of them, and it just didn't feel right to keep them to myself! Here we discuss how Family Savvy has grown over the last three years, what each team member contributes, as well as all the behind-the-scene details of the inner workings of Family Savvy. I know you will love getting to know the Family Savvy Team as much as I have! Who Is Finlay Coupland?  Finlay Coupland is a recent graduate of Samford University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with concentrations in Public Relations, Advertising, and Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Theatre. She is currently making magic at the Walt Disney World Resort as a part of the Disney College Program. Finlay has happily been a part of the Family Savvy team as the Social Media Coordinator, Project Manager, and Podcast Editor for over 2.5 years. In her free time, Finlay enjoys dancing, acting, and watching Survivor. Who Is Christopher Bailey? Chris Bailey has been working in video production and editing for over 10 years and has been with The SavvyCast since its inception in 2019. Chris has worked with clients from Hollywood to New York City, with Emmy Award Winning Directors and Cinematographers, but his goal is always the same, to demonstrate the lasting, impactful effect video and audio can have on the lives of others. In his spare time, Chris enjoys all things tech related, from video games to coding to personal content creation. Who Is Benz Rosette? With a background in Psychology, Benz used her degree as her leverage in creating and implementing effective marketing strategies for various businesses and brands in the US and UK. Her passion for writing and her enthusiasm to learn new things led her to quit her 9-to-5 job and work as a freelancer specializing in email, social media, and content marketing. Benz, an ESTJ, considers herself a dedicated and motivated individual who prioritizes excellence above all else. She is a risk-taker and an avid fan of learning new things. Hence, her vast experience in handling clients from diverse niches and industries. While you may find her working on the weekends, Benz also enjoys traveling and is always down to go anywhere with good food.  Who Is Robert Drake? Robert Drake is the co-owner of Creekside Systems and an avid technologist.  He's been supporting Jamie & the Family Savvy website for over a decade. He lives in Phoenicia, New York in the very center of the beautiful Catskill Mountains where he also runs a small gift shop with jewelry and photography. Who Is Sarah Morgan Johnson? Sarah Morgan Johnson grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, where she graduated from Briarwood Christian School. She then attended Mississippi State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Pre-Law. After falling in love with Starkville, she decided to continue her education at "The School Up North," or The University of Mississippi in Oxford. Obsessed with all things "Southern," she is currently getting a Master of Arts degree in Southern Studies. When she is not reading or writing, Sarah Morgan loves taking barre classes, cooking for friends, attending church at Christ Presbyterian, and playing pickleball.   Questions Answered In This Episode: How did Jamie meet and discovered each team member? What is the podcast producing process like? How much growth has The SavvyCast experienced in the past 3 years? What is each member of the blog team in charge of? How does the blog team create content? Connect With the Family Savvy Team: Jamie: LinkedIn Finlay: LinkedIn Robert: Robert's gift shop website Benz: LinkedIn Christopher: LinkedIn, Chris's website Sarah Morgan: LinkedIn I hope you enjoyed this episode! As always, if you have time to rate, review, and subscribe to The SavvyCast on Apple Podcasts, it would be SO appreciated!!! If you like this podcast, be sure to check these out: How Mental Health Can Be Managed For A Full And Productive Life  Let's Talk: What You Should Know About Starting a Podcast

Louisiana Anthology Podcast
461. Emily Toth on Kate Chopin, part 2

Louisiana Anthology Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2022


461. Part 2 of our talk with Emily Toth, Emily, a Robert Penn Warren Professor of English and Women's Studies at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, is a scholar, novelist, advice columnist, and feminist activist. She earned her PhD from The Johns Hopkins University. Toth's scholarly work includes over 300 articles and papers about academic mentoring, Louisiana literature and culture, women's humor, and music; biographies of the American women writers Kate Chopin and Grace Metalious; a cultural history of menstruation; edited collections of Chopin's papers and last short story collection, and a volume of essays about regionalism in women's writing. Toth's 1990 biography of Kate Chopin was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Toth's historical novel Daughters of New Orleans (1983) was named a "Best Feminist Historical Novel" by Romantic Times in 1984. Toth was also the founder and editor of the journal Regionalism and the Female Imagination (formerly The Kate Chopin Newsletter) from 1975-1979 and on the editorial board of the journal Southern Studies. This week in Louisiana history. March 20, 1839. Shreveport become a "city" on the northern end of the Red River. This week in New Orleans history. St. Joseph's Day is widely celebrated each March 19th in New Orleans. This week in Louisiana. Crawfest March 18-20, 2022 3:00pm - 9:00pm View Website 3901 Fairfield Ave Shreveport LA 71104 Crawfest is a celebration of  food, art, music, and community, held in Shreveport's historic Betty Virginia Park, March 18-20, 2022. Free Parking Phone: 318-673-7727 Did you miss us? After 3 years Crawfest is BACK in the Park! This year Crawfest will be a THREE day festival. Get ready for a full weekend of live music, food, art, drink, and fun in the park. The lineup will be out soon. DATES & TIMES Friday, March 18. 3 PM – 9 PM Saturday, March 19. 11 AM – 9 PM Sunday, March 20. Noon – 7 PM About Crawfest The first festival of its kind ever to be held in Shreveport's historic Betty Virginia Park, Crawfest is a celebration of food, music, and community.  In its 2017 debut, Crawfest hosted over 6,000 people to the free admission event, and in 2018 the crowd of over 10,000 marked the largest single day gathering in the park's history.  Concessions include Louisiana crawfish boiled onsite, a whole hog roast, smoked barbecue, and various other food, desserts, and drinks from a variety of local vendors. It's history in the making…see you March 18-20, 2022! Postcards from Louisiana. Treme Brass Band at dba.Listen on iTunes.Listen on Google Play.Listen on Google Podcasts.Listen on Spotify.Listen on Stitcher.Listen on TuneIn.The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.Like us on Facebook.  

Louisiana Anthology Podcast
460. Emily Toth on Kate Chopin, part 1

Louisiana Anthology Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2022


460. Part 1 of our talk with Emily Toth, Emily, a Robert Penn Warren Professor of English and Women's Studies at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, is a scholar, novelist, advice columnist, and feminist activist. She earned her PhD from The Johns Hopkins University. Toth's scholarly work includes over 300 articles and papers about academic mentoring, Louisiana literature and culture, women's humor, and music; biographies of the American women writers Kate Chopin and Grace Metalious; a cultural history of menstruation; edited collections of Chopin's papers and last short story collection, and a volume of essays about regionalism in women's writing. Toth's 1990 biography of Kate Chopin was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Toth's historical novel Daughters of New Orleans (1983) was named a "Best Feminist Historical Novel" by Romantic Times in 1984. Toth was also the founder and editor of the journal Regionalism and the Female Imagination (formerly The Kate Chopin Newsletter) from 1975-1979 and on the editorial board of the journal Southern Studies. This week in Louisiana history. March 12, 1812. President James Madison transmitted to the Senate the proceedings of the La. Constitution of 1812. This week in New Orleans history. Andrew Jackson Young, born March 12, 1932 in New Orleans, is an American politician, diplomat, activist and pastor from Georgia. He has served as a Congressman from Georgia's 5th congressional district, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and Mayor of Atlanta. He served as President of the National Council of Churches USA, was a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and was a supporter and friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This week in Louisiana. Amite Oyster Festival March 18-20, 2022 13143 Wardline Rd. Amite LA 70422 Website Phone: 800-542-7520 We are excited to announce the Amite Oyster Festival will be back in the Spring of 2022. Mark your calendars now and plan on joining us for three great days of food, music, rides and much more. The Amite Oyster Festival is a one-of-a-kind festival. In the spring of every year this family fun fest attracts visitors from all over the country. Great music, great fun, and of course great oysters are waiting to be enjoyed in Amite, Louisiana. A full weekend festival includes music from Cajun, country, rock and roll, and reggae artists. When something is this good, why limit it to one weekend? The Amite Oyster Festival has grown to become a month long event for the Town of Amite City to celebrate the oyster industry, the Oyster Festival and the Town of Amite City. Come on out on a weekend before the fest, and you'll be treated to a shuckin' good time! Postcards from Louisiana. Will & the Foxhounds at the BMC Bar.Listen on iTunes.Listen on Google Play.Listen on Google Podcasts.Listen on Spotify.Listen on Stitcher.Listen on TuneIn.The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.Like us on Facebook.