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The purpose of this study was to describe the role private colleges in Appalachia play in shaping the region's identity using a descriptive case study method of inquiry. Private colleges have served a vital role in Appalachia in that they have allowed many students in the region the opportunity to attain a college degree. Consequently, these institutions have afforded students in the Appalachian region the chance for a higher quality of life than many of their parents or grandparents (Lloyd, 1969; Neal, 1983; Searles, 1995).However, these same colleges have also served as interveners in Appalachia, and thus been involved in the formation of the region's identity with both positive and negative consequences (Ashworth, 1913; McNeil, 1995; Whisnant, 1994). This study explored Grant College's impact on Appalachian identity by seeking an emic characterization of the institution's role in the region from faculty, staff and students, and the institution's public proclamations. Additionally, this research provided insights into the historic and evolving role of private colleges in the Appalachian region as well as the influence of higher education on regional identity. The findings of this study indicated that Grant College is not engaged in systematic cultural intervention in Appalachia; however, this study does not conclude this is necessarily the case at other institutions in the region.Further exploration of this topic might yield different findings and expand upon the research produced in this study. / Ph. D.

The reentry process post incarceration has been identified to be difficult in the most ideal of situations and family support has been shown to be nearly essential to avoid re-incarceration (Bahr, Armstrong, Gibbs, Harris and Fisher, 2005; Visher and Travis, 2003). This study is a first attempt to delve into the nature of relationships between women in Appalachia specifically, and their male relative who is a formerly incarcerated person. Informed by an intersectional feminist framework and symbolic interactionism, this study interviews eight women who reported maintaining a relationship with a male relative who had been incarcerated and reported assisting in his reentry process, in effort to extract the essence of daily lived experience in the context of multiple identities and social locations. A feminist phenomenological approach based on Husserl's philosophy and van Manen's method was utilized, whereby the researcher employed bracketing prior to further data investigation and analysis, in attempt to distill the distinct experiences of these unheard women. Key findings included two prominent themes, and one overall essence of the lived experience of women interviewed. The essence of women's lived experience in Appalachia within the context of reentry is that family is everything, and exists at the center and above all else. Subsumed within this lived experience were the themes of family traditions, or how things are done in Appalachia, and the meaning of incarceration to these women. / Doctor of Philosophy / The reentry process post incarceration has been identified to be difficult in the most ideal of situations and family support has been shown to be nearly essential to avoid re-incarceration (Bahr et al., 2005; Visher & Travis, 2003). This study is a first attempt to delve into the nature of relationships between women in Appalachia specifically, and their male relative who is a formerly incarcerated person. Informed by feminist and family theories, this study interviews eight women who reported maintaining a relationship with a male relative who had been incarcerated and reported assisting in his reentry process, in effort to identify the essence of daily lived experience in the context of multiple identities and social locations. Essential to the analytic process was identification of how the researcher’s identities may intersect with the research process and participants themselves. Key findings included two prominent themes, and one overall essence of the lived experience of women interviewed. The essence of women’s lived experience in Appalachia within the context of reentry is that family is everything, and exists at the center and above all else. Subsumed within this lived experience were the themes of family traditions, or how things are done in Appalachia, and the meaning of incarceration to these women.

This study explores the concept of visual argument as it applies to the archetypal evolution of the hillbilly stereotype. Building on David Birdsell and Leo Groarke's theory of the archetype as a common element of visual argument, this study focuses on the visual archetypal construction of the rural hillbilly in twentieth-century mass media and in twenty first century internet memes, and it makes a case for the argumentative components of the archetype. Beginning with an analysis of early twentieth-century postcards, this study establishes the foundational elements of the hillbilly archetype as a symptom of class-based prejudice and explores how these key elements are visible in online memes, with particular attention to the genre of 'Trump Voter' memes that emerged as a response to the 2016 United States presidential campaign. These key archetypal elements compose a visual argument in favor of the idea of a degenerate and inferior rural America and represent a particularly dangerous rhetorical tool that can be mobilized to discount the concerns of rural people. / Master of Arts / This study explores the concept of visual argument as it applies to the archetypal evolution of the hillbilly stereotype. Literature reviewed in this paper includes foundational texts on the concept of visual argument, as well as theories related to visual rhetoric more generally. Beginning with an analysis of early twentieth-century postcards, this study establishes the foundational elements of the hillbilly archetype and explores their re-emergency in twenty-first century online memes, with particular attention to the genre of “Trump Voter” memes that emerged in response to the 2016 United States presidential campaign. This study contributes to a growing field of visual rhetorical studies and highlights the damaging consequences of engaging class-based stereotypes.

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The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore past intimate partner violence as it occurs in Appalachian women residing in rural and non-urbanized areas. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a social problem occurring within the context of an intimate relationship. It is estimated that 3.5 to 5 million American women experience some form of IPV each year (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). Abuse types include physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, economic, and stalking, and can involve individuals of any age, race, socioeconomic status, geographic region, or cultural heritage. In this study, participants lived in areas of Appalachia with less than 50,000 residents. Appalachia is a geographic region which spans 13 states, including West Virginia where all participants lived. Twelve past IPV victims shared their stories through the sociocultural tradition of story-telling. Data which emerged through analysis of interview transcripts revealed a meta-theme of Turning Points, which is reflective of the perceived non-linearity of IPV. Themes were: (1) When Hope Turns to Fear; (2) Escalation of Abuse; (3) Continuation of Abuse; (4) That’s When I Knew it had to Stop; (5) Leaving as a Non-Linear Process; (6) Learn from my Story. Don’t Let it be Your Story; and (7) Does Where I Live Make a Difference? Participants experienced multiple types of abuse, and there was always a co-occurrence of abuses. When the severity and frequency of abuse escalated, perpetrators used multiple strategies to hide the abuse, such as isolating the victim from family and friends, and limiting access to transportation and phones. Eventually, each participant recognized they had to leave or their injuries might prove fatal. Leaving was a non-linear process, but each survivor was able to end her abusive relationship. One way they sought to make meaning from their IPV experience was educating others in abuse recognition; disseminating information about abuse both pro-actively and re-actively; and offering emotional, psychological, and perhaps even physical support to past or present IPV victims. One or more facets of the IPV experience was addressed in relation to the sociocultural components of rural or non-urbanized areas of Appalachia.

Appalachia, itself a difficult to resolutely define region, has undergone the economic forces of colonialism and industrializing capitalism which allow for an excellent case study to apply Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony. No American region’s national conception is likely to have been as varied and often misrepresented as that of Appalachia. From the Revolutionary American State’s invention of early White settlers as the virtuous yeoman of the Republic to the modern perception of Appalachia as backwards, conservative, and drug-addled, shifting national economic conditions resulted in a constant invention of Appalachia in congruence. Whenever the people residing in Appalachia, whether Black, White, or indigenous, either failed to represent or directly challenged the interests of empire or profit, ideas and perceptions of the region subsequently shifted accordingly. Utilizing secondary sources which have attempted to paint an overarching narrative of the region and primary sources recounting contemporary individuals’ views on said region’s people, the broad arc of cultural hegemony’s construction in Appalachia was traced in this thesis. From Thomas Jefferson’s invention of the virtuous and integral small land holding settlers in the region to Theodore Roosevelt’s shifting of national consciousness away from Appalachian settlers and into the proverbial international settler frontier, tracing the ideas of state leaders within the American Republic and profit-focused interests allowed for a general timeline of social invention to be traced. The constructed timeline insinuated that one thing remained certain throughout Appalachian history: constantly changing perceptions of the region almost directly followed changing economic and political agendas. Further, after an exploration of how Black and White Appalachians indeed presented a counter-hegemonic movement necessarily connected with the rest of the nation in the form of the Mine Wars, Appalachia as a proverbial helpless region apart is argued to be ultimately a false conception. In response to this conclusion, a responsibility arose for those with the power of narrative and cultural production. Meaning, as academics or scholars, those Antonio Gramsci deemed the intellectual base of any given economic class, conscious counter-narrative production steeped in consciousness of exploitation and class antagonisms became objectively necessary. In fact, the thesis concludes, without an intellectual counter to dominant minority economic interests, social invention of often exploited regions will and do continue unabashed and unopposed.

The Appalachian region faces wide scale drug use and opioid addiction that exceeds the national average, and the crisis needs more attention in order to properly address the epidemic. Many previous studies have documented the problems Appalachian residents face regarding opioid addiction and other diseases of despair. However, this study focuses on two specific contributing causes of the opioid crisis: a lack of access to medical care and over-prescription of opioids. Additionally, while the problems of substance abuse, particularly opioid abuse, are well represented in media accounts, there is an under-representation of drug recovery and the positive aspects of the fight against drug abuse in media. Pervading stereotypes and a focus on the negative aspects of the crisis within the media continue to uphold and prolong the image of an unsurmountable problem that is no closer to being solved than when preventive efforts were first initiated. This study seeks to examine what factors contribute to opioid use in the Appalachian region, with a specific focus on lack of healthcare, over-prescription and media misrepresentation.