The Rhetoric of Appalachian Identity

by Todd Snyder

In this work the various ways that social, economic, and cultural factors influence the identities and educational aspirations of rural working-class Appalachian learners are explored. The objectives are to highlight the cultural obstacles that impact the intellectual development of such students and to address how these cultural roadblocks make transitioning into college difficult. Throughout the book, the author draws upon his personal experiences as a first-generation college student from a small coalmining town in rural West Virginia. Both scholarly and personal, the book blends critical theory, ethnographic research, and personal narrative to demonstrate how family work histories and community expectations both shape and limit the academic goals of potential Appalachian college students.

228 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling and insightful examination of Appalachian identity that mixes both the personal and the critical in addressing the ideologies that inform both insider and outsider views of the region. The work makes for thoughtful and well-written reflections that are worth checking out for anyone interested in Appalachia.

[Jeffrey Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rhetoric of Appalachian Identity is a blend of memoir and academic research that is rare. Snyder writes from the vantage point of an Appalachian man with an upbringing and roots that run deep in the mountain region. He draws from personal experiences growing up poor in an impoverished rural community in West Virginia, giving readers a look inside the cultural and material forces that many Appalachians face regarding their sense of identity and the tortured relationship many in poor, rural communities have with education in general, and higher ed in particular.

Snyder writes with a fierce ethos, exemplifying the positive impact education can have on Appalachians without disparaging the community and family he comes from.

Questions of Appalachian identity--its characteristics and who has a claim to Appalachianness--are of great personal interest to me, and Snyder left me with plenty of satisfying meat to chew on.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a compassionate, intelligent, and insightful look into the area, its people, and all of the messy history therein. I haven't read a certain other book that's suddenly very culturally relevant, but I'd be willing to bet that this is a much better depiction of Appalachians and Appalachia.