The American South is a geographical entity, a historical fact, a
place in the imagination, and the homeland of an array of Americans
who consider themselves southerners. The region is often shrouded
in romance and myth, but its realities are as intriguing, as
intricate, as its legends. The Encyclopedia of Southern Culture is
the first attempt ever notes U.S. News & World Report, to
describe every aspect of a region's life and thought, the impact of
its history and policies, its music and literature, its manners and
myths, even the iced tea that washes down its catfish and
cornbread. There are many Souths, many southerners. The region's
fundamental uniqueness, in fact, lies in its peculiar combination
of cultural traits, a somewhat curious, often elusive blend created
by blacks and whites who have lived together for more than 300
years. In telling their stories, the Encyclopedia of Southern
Culture ranges from grand historical themes to the whimsical; from
the arts and high culture (William Faulkner and Leontyne Price) to
folk culture (quilts, banjos, and grits) to popular culture
(Gilley's and Gone With the Wind). The Encyclopedia's definition of
the South is a cultural one: the South is found wherever southern
culture is found. Although the focus is on the eleven states of the
former Confederacy, this volume also encompasses southern outposts
in midwestern and middle-Atlantic border states, even the southern
pockets of Chicago, Detroit, and Bakersfield. To foster a deeper
understanding of the South's cultural patterns, the editors have
organized this reference book around twenty-four thematic sections,
including history, religion, folklore, language, art and
architecture, recreation, politics, the mythic South, urbanization,
literature, music, violence, law, and media. The life experiences
of southerners are discussed in sections on black life, ethnic
life, and women's life. Throughout, the broad goal is to identify
the forces that have supported either the reality or the illusion
of the southern way of life -- people, places, ideas, institutions,
events, symbols, rituals, and values. The Encyclopedia of Southern
Culture was developed by the Center for the Study of Southern
Culture at the University of Mississippi. Contributors to the
volume include historians, literary critics, sociologists,
anthropologists, geographers, linguists, theologians, folklorists,
architects, ecologists, lawyers, university presidents, newspaper
reporters, magazine writers, and novelists.
General
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