Appalachian Studies

Well-intentioned scholars, researchers and others wishing to make a positive difference in central Appalachia must avoid a “missionary mentality,” namely that superiority position of “we know what’s best for you and how to fix you and your region.

Appalachia was comprised of a complex mix of ethnic groups. The one common trait that bound them all together is that they were used to working hard and being self-reliant. So they had the intestinal fortitude it took to rough it out in the backcountry of the rugged Blue Ridge mountains.

Appalachian History has been digging up stories, quotes and anecdotes about the region since 2006. Special emphasis on the 1880s to 1950s time period, when the concept of ‘Appalachia’ as place emerged.

The geology of the Appalachians dates back to more than 480 million years ago. A look at rocks exposed in today’s Appalachian Mountains reveals elongate belts of folded and thrust faulted marine sedimentary rocks, volcanic rocks and slivers of ancient ocean floor – strong evidence that these rocks were deformed during plate collision.

Appalachian Kentucky has a long history of poverty and subsistence living that has permeated the social structure and
culture, including public education.

Stories about Appalachia, who tells them and who gets to claim them, matter a great deal when it comes to understanding the place and people more fully. And that understanding is critical, because without a deeper and more complete understanding of Appalachia, it will be hard for its people to build a brighter future that crosses lines of division and works toward parity between race and class.

Working with people of Appalachian culture requires multicultural expertise, just
as working with other minorities does. Appalachians display regional
differences that influence how therapy and interventions should be addressed and, even
though they may be an invisible minority, the same care is required in working with them
as for more obvious minorities.