During the past several decades, globalization forces in general and mechanization of coal mining jobs more specifically have sharply changed the economic and social conditions of many of the coal towns in the Central Appalachian region of the United States. Efforts to identify and seek alternatives to replace the ongoing decline of their traditional way of life are deeply entangled with community identity and culture due to the historical hegemonic role and power of coal mining and other extractive industries and their critical role in forming residents' identities. Many of the small communities in this region are pursuing initiatives to highlight their natural and cultural assets in efforts to develop tourism as a new foundation for their economies. However, to avoid tourism simply becoming another extractive industry, researchers and practitioners have suggested that these communities must develop capacity to participate in and take ownership of tourism-related decision-making processes. In an effort to examine the dynamics of one such effort in detail this study drew on Community Capacity theory as interpreted by Chaskin (2001a) to explore the relationships between Community Cultural Development (CCD) and the sustainability of tourism in a small town located in Central Appalachia seeking to transition to a visitor-based economy. This dissertation explored whether and in what ways engaging in CCD projects and community capacity are related and identified ways such interactions influence the sustainability of tourism. Along with personal observation and a review of relevant archival data, I conducted 10 semi-structured interviews with a sample of individuals from a community cultural development organization regarding their efforts to build possibilities for sustainable tourism in their rural jurisdiction. This study's findings contribute to the existing literature by suggesting Chaskin's framework of community capacity as an apt model for charting progress towards sustainable community-based tourism. Moreover, this research found that employing CCD methods can enhance community capacity by encouraging a sense of shared identity among the group's members and through them among a broader cross-section of residents. Lastly, this inquiry suggested that CCD contributed to the sustainability of tourism in the case study community by increasing residents' effective participation in decision-making processes concerning such efforts, encouraging locals' partnership and ownership of tourism development projects and providing space for negotiating the tourist gaze in guest-host relationships. / Doctor of Philosophy / Since at least the late 1960s and the advent of the ongoing decline of mining, the populations of many small coal-dependent towns in Central Appalachia have fallen into economic hardship (e.g., high rates of poverty, too few and/or inadequate jobs and public services), now confront a range of social issues arising from that harsh reality (e.g., youth out-migration, rapidly aging populations, the current opioid epidemic). In response to those conditions, many affected communities are investing in their wealth of natural resources and unique cultural assets to promote tourism as a palliative, if not replacement, for their previous economies. Tourism has the potential to reduce poverty and to boost shared prosperity among host communities, but it also, if poorly managed, could become another extractive industry. This study focused on the ways that residents in one Central Appalachian community have individually and as groups sought to assume ownership of their area's tourism-related efforts. I specifically analyzed participation in that jurisdiction's cultural activities (e.g., community theatre and story circles) to understand whether and how involvement in them affected participants' awareness of their capability to address the conditions in their community. My interviews with 10 active participants in my sample community's collective cultural projects revealed that residents did come to perceive themselves as possessing capacity as individuals and as groups to address the challenges that have arisen in their community as its traditional economy has declined. This study also found that participants in culture-based group activities were better prepared to participate effectively in tourism-related decision-making processes in their community. Indeed, many of those I interviewed have become owners and/or partners in tourism development projects because of the information and networks they developed during their participation in cultural activities. Finally, this analysis found that community cultural activities created a space for residents to interact regardless of their socio-economic status, ideological predisposition or other characteristics; an outcome that interviewees indicated they had come to cherish.

This research draws on New Institutionalist theory as interpreted by Fligstein and McAdam (2012) to explore the relationship between structure and agency within one nonprofit organization, Appalshop, located in Central Appalachia. Since 1969, Appalshop has worked with peer institutions to form a larger community cultural development (CCD) field, characterized by actors that value the potential of art and cultural activities to create space for individual and collective imagining and reimagining of communities. Through an exploration of archival documents and interviews with 18 current and former Appalshop staff, I analyzed the organization's 50-year evolution. I identified ways in which Appalshop has operated in the midst of different enabling and inhibiting structural forces, how its staff has sought to assert agency by contesting or circumventing those extant forces, and how the ensuing tensions have shaped the organization's approach to social change. During its evolution, Appalshop can be seen as having gone through four different stages characterized by changing national policy and culture as well as the actions of different generations of Appalshop staff. In order to withstand the growth of neoliberalism, changing technology and regional socioeconomic circumstance, Appalshop staff have had to adapt the organization's modus operandi to one that is more region facing and service based. / Doctor of Philosophy / Appalshop is a community cultural development organization located in central Appalachia. Community cultural development (CCD) is characterized by actors that value the potential of art and cultural activities to create space for individual and collective reimagining of communities. Founded in 1969, Appalshop and its staff have approached CCD in many ways, including through media production, youth education, theater and community organizing and, more recently, through community economic development. I explored Appalshop's evolution and sought to assess the ways in which this arts nonprofit has reacted to changing circumstances nationally and within its region, how those external forces have influenced the organization, and how its staff members have worked to contest forces that inhibited their organization's avowed mission and preferred activities. I used New Institutionalist theory, an analytic framework that emphasizes the need to explore the different fields of influence on any organization as well as the individual actors within that entity who, through their drive to create and perpetuate shared social meaning, may adopt or contest the narratives of external fields. I employed new institutionalism to make sense of the factors that have shaped Appalshop's trajectory as an institution to date. During its evolution, Appalshop has experienced four different stages characterized by changing national policy and culture as well as the actions of different generations of Appalshop staff. To withstand the growth of neoliberalism, changing technology and regional socioeconomic circumstances, Appalshop staff have had to adapt the organization's established modus operandi to one that is more region facing and service based.

Many parts of Appalachia, including areas of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland, lag behind much of the country in key socioeconomic indicators. There is a need for economic development opportunities that leverage the region's natural resources in a sustainable manner. This study investigates the feasibility of using maple syrup production as an economic development strategy. This study is broken into three sections, the first is a survey of current maple syrup producers to investigate how syrup is produced and sold in this region. This survey is followed by a pricing analysis that was conducted to ascertain the feasibility of small-scale producers competing with often larger and well-established Northeastern maple syrup producers. The final chapter is an economic impact analysis of the Highland County Maple Festival. This analysis was conducted to learn about the current impacts of maple syrup agritourism for producers and the communities they operate in. Findings from this study indicate that the maple syrup industry in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia is smaller and more localized than the industry in the Northeastern United States and Canada. However, the difference in how maple syrup is sold can provide many potential benefits for Appalachian communities. A localized approach to selling maple syrup that relies on attracting visitors to farms has the potential to create an economic stimulus for not only maple syrup producers, but also the communities in which they operate. / Master of Science / The Appalachian region of the United States has higher rates of poverty than the rest of the country. Many rural communities in Appalachia are also losing population. Due to these factors, there is a need for the development of new ways to bring money and jobs into Appalachian communities. This study investigates the potential to use maple syrup production to help stimulate economic development into central Appalachian communities in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. This study is broken into three sections, the first is a survey of maple syrup producers to see how syrup is currently produced and sold in this region. This survey is followed by a pricing analysis that was conducted to see if it is possible for small-scale producers to sell their products in grocery stores. The final chapter is an economic impact analysis of the Highland County Maple Festival. This analysis was conducted to see how tourism that is focused on maple syrup impacts the communities that it takes place in. Findings from this study indicate that the maple syrup industry in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia is smaller and more local than the industry in the Northeastern United States and Canada. However, the difference in how maple syrup is sold can provide many potential benefits for Appalachian. A localized approach to selling maple syrup that relies on attracting visitors to farms through tourism has the potential to create an economic stimulus for not only maple syrup producers, but also the communities in which they operate.

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From book summary: "Families, communities, and the nation itself were irretrievably altered by the Civil War and the subsequent societal transformations of the nineteenth century. The repercussions of the war incited a broad range of unique problems in Appalachia, including political dynamics, racial prejudices, and the regional economy [...]"

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The state of Mississippi is undergoing a prescription opioid epidemic that mimics national trends in which prescribing rates are dropping, yet overdoses involving opioids remain high. In response to the state’s crisis, the PReventing Opioid Misuse In the SouthEast (PROMISE) Initiative was created to provide education for preventing the misuse of prescription opioids. A mail survey and post card intervention were distributed in six Appalachian counties in the state to gather the self-reported attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control of residents as it related to using a prescription drug take-box. Descriptive and multivariable analyses indicate the intervention did not increase intention to use prescription drug take-back boxes as a method of disposal. Lack of awareness and inconvenience remain common themes among individuals who chose not to use take-back boxes. Thus, researchers recommend future interventions incentivize prescription disposal.

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