Sense of Place: American Regional Cultures (Publication of the American Folklore Society. New Series)

Despite the homogenization of American life, areas of strong regional consciousness still persist in the United States, and there is a growing interest in regionalism among the public and among academics. In response to that interest ten folklorists here describe and interpret a variety of American regional cultures in the twentieth century. Their book is the first to deal specifically with regional culture and the first to employ the perspective of folklore in the study of regional identity and consciousness. The authors range widely over the United States, from the Eastern Shore to the Pacific Northwest, from the Southern Mountains to the Great Plains. They look at a variety of cultural expressions and practices—legends, anecdotes, songs, foodways, architecture, and crafts. Tying their work together is a common consideration of how regional culture shapes and is shaped by the consciousness of living in a special place. In exploring this dimension of regional culture the authors consider the influence of natural environment and historical experience on the development of regional culture, the role of ethnicity in regional consciousness, the tensions between insiders and outsiders that stem from a sense of regional identity, and the changes in culture in response to social and economic change. With its focus on cultural manifestations and its folkloristic perspective this book provides a fresh and needed contribution to regional studies. Written in a clear, readable style, it will appeal to general readers interested in American regions and their cultures. At the same time the research and analytical approach make it useful not only to folklorists but to cultural geographers, anthropologists, and other scholars of regional studies. Despite the homogenization of American life, areas of strong regional consciousness still persist in the United States, and there is a growing interest in regionalism among the public and among academics. In response to that interest ten folklorists here describe and interpret a variety of American regional cultures in the twentieth century. Their book is the first to deal specifically with regional culture and the first to employ the perspective of folklore in the study of regional identity and consciousness. The authors range widely over the United States, from the Eastern Shore to the Pacific Northwest, from the Southern Mountains to the Great Plains. They look at a variety of cultural expressions and practices — legends, anecdotes, songs, foodways, architecture, and crafts. Tying their work together is a common consideration of how regional culture shapes and is shaped by the consciousness of living in a special place. In exploring this dimension of regional culture the authors consider the influence of natural environment and historical experience on the development of regional culture, the role of ethnicity in regional consciousness, the tensions between insiders and outsiders that stem from a sense of regional identity, and the changes in culture in response to social and economic change. With its focus on cultural manifestations and its folkloristic perspective this book provides a fresh and needed contribution to regional studies. Writ¬ten in a clear, readable style, it will appeal to general readers interested in American regions and their cultures. At the same time the research and analytical approach make it useful not only to folklorists but to cultural geographers, anthropologists, and other scholars of regional studies. Frontmatter Regional Studies in American Folklore Scholarship (BARBARA ALLEN, page 1) Folklore and Reality in the American West (BARRE TOELKEN, page 14) Tornado Stories in the Breadbasket: Weather and Regional Identity (LARRY DANIELSON, page 28) "One Reason God Made Trees": The Form and Ecology of the Barnegat Bay Sneakbox (MARY HUFFORD, page 40) Mankind's Thumb on Nature's Scale: Trapping and Regional Identity in the Missouri Ozarks (ERIKA BRADY, page 58) Regional Consciousness as a Shaper of Local History: Examples from the Eastern Shore (POLLY STEWART, page 74) Image and Identity in Oregon's Pioneer Cemeteries (RICHARD E. MEYER, page 88) Carbon-Copy Towns? The Regionalization of Ethnic Folklife in Southern Illinois's Egypt (JOHN M. COGGESHALL, page 103) A Regional Musical Style: The Legacy of Arnold Shultz (WILLIAM E. LIGHTFOOT, page 120) Creative Constraints in the Folk Arts of Appalachia (CHARLES E. MARTIN, page 138) The Genealogical Landscape and the Southern Sense of Place (BARBARA ALLEN, page 152) Regional Culture Studies and American Culture Studies (THOMAS J. SCHLERETH, page 164) Notes (page 184) Contributors (page 212) Regional Studies In American Folklore Scholarship/barbra Allen -- Folklore And Reality In The American West/barre Toelken -- Tornado Stories In The Breadbasket: Weather And Regional Identity/larry Danielson -- One Reason God Made Trees: The Form And Ecology Of The Barnegat Bay Sneakbox/mary Hufford -- Mankind's Thumb On Nature's Scale: Trapping And Regional Identity In The Missouri Ozarks/erika Brady -- Regional Consciousness As A Shaper Of Local History: Examples From The Eastern Shore/ Polly Stewart -- Image And Identity In Oregon's Pioneer Cemeteries/richard E. Meyer -- Carbon-copy Towns? The Regionalization Of Ethnic Folklife In Southern Illinois's Egypt/john M. Coggeshall -- A Regional Musical Style: The Legacy Of Arnold Shultz/william E. Lightfoot. Creative Constraints In The Folk Arts Of Appalachia/charles E. Martin -- The Genealogical Landscape And The Southern Sense Of Place/barbara Allen -- Regional Culture Studies And American Culture Studies/thomas J. Schlereth. Edited By Barbara Allen & Thomas J. Schlereth. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [184]-211).