The Southern Way of Life: Meanings of Culture and Civilization in the American South

Wilson, Charles Reagan

ISBN 10: 1469664984 / ISBN 13: 9781469664989

Published by The University of North Carolina Press, 2023

Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00097885539

Synopsis:

Since the eighteenth century, a vast range of thinkers, artists, writers, and critics have wrestled with the notion that something distinct characterizes life in the American South. But in this sweeping new intellectual and cultural history, Charles Reagan Wilson reveals that there has never been a singular understanding of this "southern way of life." Considering nearly three centuries of regional expression in history, literature, music, recreation, religion, and more, produced by those inside and outside the region, Wilson argues that the consciousness associated with the American South is best understood by examining three related yet discrete ideas that have evolved over time: southern civilization, the southern way of life, and southern living. The story he tells is not of an essential South but of one marked by contestations, contingencies, and change.

Wilson draws on multiple histories, disciplines, geographies, and cultural strains to show how ideas of southern culture have been plural and dynamic, complicated always by race and class. This monumental study promises to shape and invigorate writing about southern culture for years to come.

About the Author: Charles Reagan Wilson is professor emeritus of history and southern studies at the University of Mississippi.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Southern Way of Life: Meanings of ...
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication Date: 2023
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good