Mountaineers Are Always Free - Heritage, Dissent, and a West Virginia Icon (Hardcover)

The West Virginia University Mountaineer is not just a mascot: it is a symbol of West Virginia history and identity embraced throughout the state. In this deeply informed but accessible study, folklorist Rosemary Hathaway explores the figure's early history as a backwoods trickster, its deployment in emerging mass media, and finally its long and sometimes conflicted career - beginning officially in 1937 - as the symbol of West Virginia University. Alternately a rabble-rouser and a romantic embodiment of the state's history, the Mountaineer has been subject to ongoing reinterpretation while consistently conveying the value of independence. Hathaway's account draws on multiple sources, including archival research, personal history, and interviews with former students who have portrayed the mascot, to explore the complex forces and tensions animating the Mountaineer figure. Often serving as a focus for white, masculinist, and Appalachian identities in particular, the Mountaineer that emerges from this study is something distinct from the hillbilly. Frontiersman and rebel both, the Mountaineer figure traditionally and energetically resists attempts (even those by the University) to tame or contain it.

General

Imprint:	West Virginia University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	February 2020
Authors:	Rosemary V. Hathaway
Dimensions:	216 x 140mm (L x W)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	276
ISBN-13:	978-1-949199-30-7
Categories:	Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Myths & mythology Books > Humanities > History > American history > General Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Local history Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Active outdoor pursuits > Climbing & mountaineering Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social institutions > Customs & folklore > Customs Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social institutions > Customs & folklore > Folklore Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Anthropology > Social & cultural anthropology > General Books > History > American history > General Books > History > History of specific subjects > Local history Books > Religion & Spirituality > Myths & mythology
LSN:	1-949199-30-4
Barcode:	9781949199307

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