'Stony the Road' to Change : Black Mississippians and the Culture of Social Relations

This book is the result of an ethnographic study on the impact of Black cultural diversity on social action. The ethnography has three important characteristics. First, it incorporates the multiple perspectives of the ethnographer with the diverse voices of the people through an unusual form of reflexivity that provides additional insight for the descriptions, analyses, and conclusions of the book. This epistemological method is used to challenge traditional structures of ethnographies. Secondly, it argues for the consideration of non-traditional approaches to studying the Black experience - a focus away from race relations and issues of class and an emphasis on intragroup interaction and diversity. Thirdly, it investigates the processes, social institutions, and structures within the Black community of a small college town that influence social change and social action since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 Preface......Page 13 Acknowledgments......Page 19 FIRST CONTACT: DOESN’T EVERYBODY OWN A TV?......Page 21 BUILDING A NEW PERSPECTIVE......Page 25 WHY MISSISSIPPI?: METHOD TO THE MADNESS......Page 29 METHOD FOR THE MAZE......Page 32 THE FRAME......Page 35 “FOR MY PEOPLE” – CONCERNS OF NATIVE ANTHROPOLOGY......Page 41 STRUCTURING THE ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY......Page 43 PART ONE THE CULTURAL HISTORY AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF THE REGION......Page 45 1 Placing the Stones......Page 47 WHERE ON “GOD’S GREEN EARTH” ARE WE?......Page 48 Religious Foundations......Page 56 The Educational System......Page 57 Political History of Region......Page 59 Politics and Community Borders......Page 60 Space and the Demographics of De Facto Segregation......Page 63 WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE AND WHY ARE THEY HERE?: ORIGINS OF THE REGIONAL AFRICAN PRESENCE......Page 67 Social Structure of the African American Neighborhoods......Page 68 Community Churches......Page 72 2 Getting Around the Stones......Page 74 JAMES MEREDITH AND THE MOVEMENT COME TO TOWN......Page 75 FROM THE MOUTHS OF THOSE WHO WOULD BE KING......Page 79 PART TWO SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS, SOCIAL ACTION......Page 87 3 Social Consciousness and Black Public Culture......Page 89 The Religious View......Page 92 The Political Organization View......Page 94 A Civic Organization View......Page 96 A Socio-Civic Organization View......Page 101 A Public Culture View......Page 103 The Local Talented Tenth View......Page 109 The Ayers Case......Page 111 The Black Bid for Sheriff......Page 114 Block Grant Funds/Annexation......Page 115 Legal Problems of Weapons in School Rules......Page 116 Voter Registration......Page 117 THE MOVE TO ELECT BLACK CANDIDATES......Page 119 SOCIAL CHANGE: WHO WANTS WHAT AND WHY?......Page 131 PART THREE CONSTRUCTION OF AN INTRARACIAL IDENTITY......Page 139 5 “What’s Race Got To Do With It?”......Page 141 THE INTERCONNECTION OF PLACE, SPACE, AND BELONGING......Page 142 PLACE: A COMPLEX CONSTRUCTION OF HISTORY AND TRADITION......Page 153 HISTORY AND MEMORY AS DEFINERS OF IDENTITY......Page 159 AUTHENTICATION OF BELONGING......Page 163 6 It’s a White “Thang”......Page 167 7 The Final (Af)front......Page 184 Conclusion......Page 196 Appendix A Lafayette County Population Chart......Page 215 Appendix B Proclamation Honoring Ole Miss Demonstrators......Page 216 Appendix C Chancellor’s Statement of Commendation......Page 218 Appendix D Speech by Susie Marshall for Second Baptist Church Honoring Rev. Blind Jim Ivy......Page 219 Appendix E Susie Marshall’s Unpublished Draft of Freedmen Town Marker Dedication Speech Recounting July 4, 1867, Speech.........Page 220 Bibliography......Page 223 Index......Page 229 This Book Is The Result Of An Ethnographic Study Of The Impact Of Black Cultural Diversity On Social Action. The Ethnography Has Three Important Characteristics. First, It Incorporates The Multiple Perspectives Of The Ethnographer With The Diverse Voices Of The People Through An Unusual Form Of Reflexivity That Provides Additional Insight For The Descriptions, Analyses, And Conclusions Of The Book. This Epistemological Method Is Used To Challenge Traditional Structures Of Ethnographies. Second, It Argues For The Consideration Of Nontraditional Approaches To Studying The Black Experience - A Focus Away From Race Relations And Issues Of Class And An Emphasis On Intragroup Interaction And Diversity. Third, It Investigates The Processes, Social Institutions, And Structures Within The Black Community Of A Small College Town That Influence Social Change And Social Action Since The Civil Rights Movement Of The 1960s.--book Jacket. 1. Placing The Stones : The Construction Of A Region -- 2. Getting Around The Stones : The Civil Rights Movement -- 3. Social Consciousness And Black Public Culture -- 4. Social Action : A Social Movement In Practice -- 5. What's Race Got To Do With It? -- 6. It's A White Thang : Ethnic Identifiers And The Loss Of Cultural Codes -- 7. Final (af)front : Space And The Black Public Sphere -- App. A. Lafayette County Population Chart -- App. B. Proclamation Honoring Ole Miss Demonstrators -- App. C. Chancellor's Statement Of Commendation -- App. D. Speech By Susie Marshall For Second Baptist Church Honoring Rev. Blind Jim Lvy -- App. E. Susie Marshall's Unpublished Draft Of Freedman Town Marker Dedication Speech Recounting July 4, 1867, Speech Of Oxford Ex-slave. Marilyn M. Thomas-houston. Based On Author's Thesis (ph. D.)--new York University, 1997. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 203-208) And Index. This intra-group anthropological study examines the impact of history, memory, space, and the concept of belonging on the social structure of a Southern, small-town Black community. Using the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s as the point of departure for a critique of the culture of social relations among Blacks, it also proposes to provide an example of activist, native ethnographic research in a complex society. An intra-group study examining the impact of history, memory, space, and the concept of belonging on the social structure of a Southern, small-town, Black community. It uses the 1960s Civil Rights Movement as the point from which it forms a critique of the culture of social relations among Blacks. While traveling west along a beautiful tree-lined street of postbellum homes in Oxford, Mississippi, I observed what I thought to be a disturbing example of the quality of race relations in this quiet university town.