Re: Southern Identity

Brooks Simpson wrote:
> I'm curious to know what folks here might make of recent efforts to
> explore anew the notion of southern identity, especially Jim Cobb's
> Away Down South.  Here's a link:
>
>
http://www.us.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/HistoryAmerican/Cultural/?view=usa&ci=9780195089592
>
> What do you think is the best way to explore this question?  Cobb looks
> at this both in terms of how southerners defined themselves and how
> non-southerners (primarily northerners) went about the same enterprise
> (and how these two endeavors interacted).  What's the relevance of such
> studies for historical interpretation/explanation/understanding?

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I just opened the book and saw the subtitle of Chapter 1.  Imagine my
surprise.  : )

I think this approach is best because identity has both internal and
external components.  Not only do southerners define themselves, but
other regions also define them, sometimes based on the actions and
words of southerners and sometimes not.  These can't be coherently
viewed in isolation because they all interact and affect each other.

Regards,
Cash