This is OT, but in case you've ever been to the Nebraska State Capitol building, you may have noticed an aesthetic resemblance when you visited the Los Angeles Central Library. The artwork and inscriptions designs of both were overseen by my spouse's great-grandfather, Hartley Burr Alexander (who, to underscore the OT nature of my comment, was not Southern in any way whatsoever: https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/hartley-burr-alexander-not-your-typical-20th-century).
I'm afraid I don't have any on-topic recommendations for you re Southernification right now, except to second Richard Reiss' recommendation of *Albion's Seed.* Looking forward to reading the results of your research--you've got a strong hypothesis that clearly resonates with a lot of people.
Not sure if this was mentioned previously but Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974 by Julian E. Zelizer and Kevin M. Kruse goes into detail on the effects of right wing media throughout a portion of their book. Hope it helps.
Thanks for sharing the recommendations! Really appreciate it.
It isn't quite on the development of Southernization but more the development of a nationalist white evangelical culture but Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez is great
I read Peter Applebome's "Dixie Rising: How the South Is Shaping American Values, Politics, and Culture" for a college class at the University of Texas many years ago. It might be worth looking into!
Anecdotally, I think there's one respect in which the "southernification" is incomplete.
I'm from southern Missouri, which had a distinct dialect when I was a kid. That dialect faded away as I grew up (a specific: "you'uns" became "y'all"), which strikes me as part of the "southernification."
But, now I've moved to north central Florida, which everyone tells me might as well be southern Georgia. And I've noticed one big difference: People are NICER, in little ways, in the south than they are in the midwest. Not saying they're better people -- even in the midwest, someone will stop to help change a flat tire or bring a casserole over if a family member is in the hospital.
But in the place I live now, if traffic is backed up, someone will almost always stop and wave to let you pull out of a parking lot and into the flow. And at the fast-food drive-thru, my wife always gets a giggle out of being called "honey" by female order-takers and "ma'am" by male ones. That kind of thing. Just ... _nice_, all the time, to everyone, on a regular basis. It's rare to run into someone who's mean.
Since I am a retired university professor, I was interested in your theory. my doctorate is in education and I taught primarily criminology and sociology for over eighteen years. I have spent the majority of my life in Indiana. however, I lived in south Georgia for a time. because of my education and experience I had been thinking about a theory I labeled the "Southernization of the United States". therefore, I had been thinking along the lines of your theory. however, that is not my concern. the stages that are mentioned have already been developed in another theory-social change. these are not new concepts. and they require proper notation. I'm not the education police, but documentation is important. your theory is fascinating, though.
Just read the previous Southernification post and this one, so sorry if I’m repeating past posts. The Braves became America’s Team because of WTBS - it was the only baseball team people outside major cities could follow after the availability of cable in the 70s. Also, I think the adoption of southern dialect may be more of the tendency of whites to appropriate African-American culture. Rural Whites love African-American culture and always copy their music (Jazz, Blues, Rap) and clothing. Over recent decades, the appropriation of Rap in particular led to an adoption of Black dialect, which is Southern dialect at its heart. That doesn’t explain the Confederate iconography, I realize. I’ve been dismayed to see Northerners display the Confederate flag - dismayed and oddly resentful because that’s supposed to be OUR shameful past, not theirs. Maybe these Southern wannabes are looking to make some sort of provocative statement but not so provocative as a swastika, so they choose the confed flag. Classic chicken hawk move.
This is OT, but in case you've ever been to the Nebraska State Capitol building, you may have noticed an aesthetic resemblance when you visited the Los Angeles Central Library. The artwork and inscriptions designs of both were overseen by my spouse's great-grandfather, Hartley Burr Alexander (who, to underscore the OT nature of my comment, was not Southern in any way whatsoever: https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/hartley-burr-alexander-not-your-typical-20th-century).
I'm afraid I don't have any on-topic recommendations for you re Southernification right now, except to second Richard Reiss' recommendation of *Albion's Seed.* Looking forward to reading the results of your research--you've got a strong hypothesis that clearly resonates with a lot of people.
Really cool! My LA roots go pretty deep so I always appreciate little historical nuggets like this.
Not sure if this was mentioned previously but Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974 by Julian E. Zelizer and Kevin M. Kruse goes into detail on the effects of right wing media throughout a portion of their book. Hope it helps.
Thanks for sharing the recommendations! Really appreciate it.
In the conclusion of "Albion's Seed," David Hackett Fischer makes the point that the Scot-Irish culture (the basis of rural working class white culture) is the most accepting by class and education, so naturally absorbed other white working class culture. It's been a while since I read "Albion's Seed" but the concluding chapter is worth checking out. As is whole book, if you have not already found your way to it. Related is Walter Russell Mead's essay: https://pmachala.people.amherst.edu/Current%20Politics/Case%20Studies%20in%20American%20Diplomacy%20-The%20Readings%20FOR%20the%20FIRST%20and%20SECOND%20Class/Mead,%20The%20Jacksonian%20Tradition.htm
Amplified by a feedback loop of exaggeration to make a contrast with the coasts. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/how-hillbilly-reality-tv-got-way-too-real
and former Senator James Webb, in the WSJ: http://www.artistascitizen.org/Atlas/WSJ_Webb.pdf
And a big box landscape stripped of detail and meaning. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/11/george-saunders-goes-to-trump-rallies
It isn't quite on the development of Southernization but more the development of a nationalist white evangelical culture but Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez is great
I read Peter Applebome's "Dixie Rising: How the South Is Shaping American Values, Politics, and Culture" for a college class at the University of Texas many years ago. It might be worth looking into!
Anecdotally, I think there's one respect in which the "southernification" is incomplete.
I'm from southern Missouri, which had a distinct dialect when I was a kid. That dialect faded away as I grew up (a specific: "you'uns" became "y'all"), which strikes me as part of the "southernification."
But, now I've moved to north central Florida, which everyone tells me might as well be southern Georgia. And I've noticed one big difference: People are NICER, in little ways, in the south than they are in the midwest. Not saying they're better people -- even in the midwest, someone will stop to help change a flat tire or bring a casserole over if a family member is in the hospital.
But in the place I live now, if traffic is backed up, someone will almost always stop and wave to let you pull out of a parking lot and into the flow. And at the fast-food drive-thru, my wife always gets a giggle out of being called "honey" by female order-takers and "ma'am" by male ones. That kind of thing. Just ... _nice_, all the time, to everyone, on a regular basis. It's rare to run into someone who's mean.
Since I am a retired university professor, I was interested in your theory. my doctorate is in education and I taught primarily criminology and sociology for over eighteen years. I have spent the majority of my life in Indiana. however, I lived in south Georgia for a time. because of my education and experience I had been thinking about a theory I labeled the "Southernization of the United States". therefore, I had been thinking along the lines of your theory. however, that is not my concern. the stages that are mentioned have already been developed in another theory-social change. these are not new concepts. and they require proper notation. I'm not the education police, but documentation is important. your theory is fascinating, though.
Just read the previous Southernification post and this one, so sorry if I’m repeating past posts. The Braves became America’s Team because of WTBS - it was the only baseball team people outside major cities could follow after the availability of cable in the 70s. Also, I think the adoption of southern dialect may be more of the tendency of whites to appropriate African-American culture. Rural Whites love African-American culture and always copy their music (Jazz, Blues, Rap) and clothing. Over recent decades, the appropriation of Rap in particular led to an adoption of Black dialect, which is Southern dialect at its heart. That doesn’t explain the Confederate iconography, I realize. I’ve been dismayed to see Northerners display the Confederate flag - dismayed and oddly resentful because that’s supposed to be OUR shameful past, not theirs. Maybe these Southern wannabes are looking to make some sort of provocative statement but not so provocative as a swastika, so they choose the confed flag. Classic chicken hawk move.
In case you missed it https://crookedtimber.org/2012/11/16/southern-white-as-an-ethnicity/