Deep South. A Social Anthropological Study of Caste and Class.

by Allison - Gardner Mary R Davis

First published in 1941, Deep South is the cooperative effort of a team of social anthropologists to document the economic, racial, and cultural character of the Jim Crow South through a study of a representative rural Mississippi community. Researchers Allison Davis, Burleigh B. Gardner, and Mary R. Gardner lived among the people of Natchez, Mississippi, for more than eighteen months as they investigated how class and caste informed daily life in a typical southern community. This Southern Classics edition of their study offers contemporary students of history a provocative collection of primary material gathered by conscientious and well-trained participant-observers, who found then-as now-interwined social and economic inequalities at the root of racial tensions.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Sociology, Anthropology, American, Economics

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1941

Reviews

[Blaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my field, but I found the picture of white and black societies in 1930's small city and rural Mississippi fascinating, and the story of what the researchers had to do to conduct and then publish their work is equally interesting.

I liked the contrast between the caste structures, keeping blacks and whites in separate groups, and the somewhat more fluid class structures interesting. The difference between white male/black female couples and black male/white female couples was not surprising. The former was tolerated, if disfavoured, while the latter was "run out of town", or worse. In either case, the children were consigned to the black caste, regardless of appearance.

Also fascinating were the descriptions of black and white upper, middle and lower classes and what privileges upper class blacks were and were not able to enjoy.

Well worth the read.

[Peggy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this nonfiction study of a town and county in Mississippi in the mid-1930s. I wanted to read it after reading about it in Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste. I realize now she referenced it primarily because its authors’ use of the term “caste” reinforced her own thesis about caste and race in the US. It’s not that it’s a bad book, just reflective of sociological research at that time.
The section on white “caste” is much longer and more detailed than the section on black caste. This may have been due to access or other factors but I would have liked an explanation. The methodology was interesting since two couples, one black and one white, moved to the town/county and lived there in order to gather their data. Again I would have liked a prologue or afterword to discuss how exactly they went about their work. They outline how much of it was interviews and newspaper research, but never said if they openly discussed their purpose for being there with those they interviewed, for example.
Mainly they spent their time dividing the community up into different classes, in both white and black castes. With that established, they then looked at how the different classes interacted within their own caste and how/if there was much movement from one class to another within each caste. Then of course how different classes in each caste interacted with the various classes of the other.
This was much more extensively laid out in the white community than in the black, perhaps because the black community didn’t have the economic ability to stratify as much.
I didn’t really learn much of anything new and it was written in an academic style, although with little actual academese. Not really recommended.

[Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, comprehensive, uncompromising multi-year study of a Deep South city (Natchez, MS), county and neighbouring county in the early 1930s. Two teams of anthropologists, one black and one white. Describes caste (colour) divisions, class divisions within caste, social organisations within class divisions (cliques), social mobility, rural economies, and intimidation of labour and residents. This is a landmark study covering both black and white castes comprehensively, and I am surprised at the small amount of recent attention this study has received here and elsewhere. One notable observation: middle class whites were by far the strongest churchgoers, the biggest Judgey McJudgersons, and the strongest/fiercest enforcers of caste/colour boundaries. Plus ça change...

Describes in detail whites cheating black labour of their due, and forcing debt to exert further control. "Selling land" at high prices in good times, knowing that in bad times they would be able to foreclose and get the land back. Predatory, but still the same. White intimidation of black labour, and maintenance of drastically inferior black educational systems because the better the black education system, the less likely blacks will stick around to be cheap, exploitable labour. This was from a time when lynchings, whippings, extrajudicial murders, and so on were still common, and from shortly after the time when the Klan was rising as both an anti-black and anti-Catholic force in southern society. Does not cover that as much as I would have expected.

[Kristin Komar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep South: A Social Anthropological Study of Caste and Class is a very interesting and educational examination of the lived realities of American racism and the caste system. There is a foreword in the new addition by Isabel Wilkerson who acknowledges the book’s importance to her own work.
“Deep South” was first published in 1941. Living undercover in Depression-era Mississippi-not revealing their scholarly project or even their association with one another—groundbreaking Black scholar Allison Davis and his White co-authors Burleigh and Mary Gardner, delivered an unprecedented examination of how race shaped nearly every aspect of twentieth- century life in the United States. Their analysis revealed the importance of caste and class to Black and White worldviews. The newer addition shows that the book is as relevant as ever.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating book. It took me longer than I would’ve liked to get though, but I credit this to the academic nature of the study.

Overall, I found the book to be a harrowing mirror of what’s going on in society today in 2025. Intimidation of labor (recruiting immigrants with H-1B visas to allow for exploitation via lower wages and lesser regulated working conditions), class gaps (the rich continue to consolidate wealth while the poor remain stuck in a cycle of disadvantage), caste solidarity (Trump, Musk, & Bezos epitomize the way elite circles self-reinforce their dominance). The parallels between historical and contemporary systems of power serve as a stark reminder that history does, indeed, repeat itself.

Beyond its sociological insights, it’s also worth mentioning its pioneering methodology. The authors didn’t just study economic and social systems—they captured personal stories, family dynamics, and the lived experiences of individuals across class and racial lines. This humanized approach makes Deep South a timeless and deeply empathetic artifact. Yes, it exposes harsh realities, but it also enables those that are curious to peel back the curtain of the past.

However, reading the book also highlighted the systemic sexism of the 1930s and 40s. Elizabeth Davis, Allison Davis’s wife and an essential contributor to the fieldwork and analysis in this study, was not credited as an author, reflecting the era’s unwillingness to recognize women, particularly Black women, as prominent scholars. Additionally, when the book referred to elected officials and community leaders, it exclusively referenced men, underscoring the patriarchal structures of the time (and still present today). While Deep South is an important historical artifact, it serves as a reminder of how far we’ve come as a society in recognizing women’s contributions, though there is still progress to be made.

In addition, the book dedicated a disproportionate amount of space to exploring the white caste compared to the Black caste. While I understand that the white caste in this study had more structured and formalized gatherings, I would have been interested to learn more about the class dynamics of the Black caste.

Deep South is a sobering and essential read for anyone who wants to understand the systemic forces that shape society. Allison Davis, Elizabeth Davis, Burleigh Gardner, & Mary Gardner’s work reminds us that while these patterns persist, awareness is the first step toward change.

[Nanci-Jean Franks · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an important book to get insight into racial division in the Southern states and overall.

[Brittany Huff · Rating 4 out of 5]

While dense and difficult to read for someone outside of the social science field, it is vital to understand the social structure that still exists today

[Steve Shilstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthropologists reveal the specific legacy in 1940 Mississippi of the great national stain of slavery.

[Rafael Suleiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book on the prevalence of caste and class in the deep South.