Appalachian Studies Association

Appalachian Studies Association
Name	Appalachian Studies Association
Formation	1970s
Type	scholarly association
Region	Appalachian Region
Headquarters	Berea, Kentucky

Appalachian Studies Association is a scholarly organization dedicated to the study of the Appalachian Mountains, Appalachia, and the peoples, cultures, histories, and environments of the region. It brings together scholars, activists, artists, educators, and community members associated with institutions such as Berea College, University of Kentucky, West Virginia University, Marshall University, and East Tennessee State University. The Association engages with topics connected to events like the Hatfield–McCoy feud, industries such as coal mining, and movements including the War on Poverty and the Great Society.

History

The organization's origins trace to gatherings influenced by conferences at Berea College, meetings involving scholars from Appalachian State University, activists linked to Mountain Justice, and community leaders from Pine Mountain Settlement School. Early participants included figures associated with Harry Caudill, writers connected to Jean Ritchie, scholars from Earl Hamner Jr. circles, and organizers tied to Southern Appalachian Labor School. The group's development paralleled scholarship found in works published by University Press of Kentucky, collaborations with archives like the Abingdon Library, and advocacy campaigns related to the Buffalo Creek Flood and the Matewan Massacre commemorations. Institutional partners and conferences often intersected with programs at Hindman Settlement School, Alice Lloyd College, Morehead State University, and cultural projects tied to Daniel Boone National Forest.

Mission and Activities

The Association's stated mission emphasizes scholarship and activism connecting communities, educators, and cultural workers from sites such as Pikeville, Hazard, Kentucky, and Mullens, West Virginia. Activities include fostering research on topics linked to Appalachian Regional Commission, heritage programs connected to Smithsonian Institution collaborations, oral-history projects resembling work at Center for Appalachian Studies and Services, and community-based initiatives in places like Harlan County and Logan County, West Virginia. It supports curricular development at institutions such as Union College (Kentucky), public programming with museums like the Appalachian Cultural Museum, and outreach echoing coalfield organizing associated with Save Our Cumberland Mountains.

Conferences and Publications

Annual and biennial conferences have been held in locations including Lexington, Kentucky, Boone, North Carolina, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, and Johnson City, Tennessee, drawing panels on subjects from mountain music to policy debates tied to Surface mining control and reclamation. Proceedings and journals have been published in venues connected to Ohio University Press, University Press of Kentucky, and periodicals resembling Appalachian Journal and The Journal of Appalachian Studies. The Association's conference programming often features keynote presenters who have contributed to literatures alongside Barbara Kingsolver, historians in the tradition of Ronald Lewis, ethnographers akin to Anthony Harkins, and environmental scholars with ties to Ralph Nader-era advocacy. Special issues and edited volumes have emerged from collaborations with centers like the Center for the Study of Appalachia and archives similar to the Coal Heritage Trail documentation projects.

Membership and Organization

Membership spans academics from departments at University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, Ohio University, and Clemson University; community activists from organizations such as Appalachian Voices and Kentuckians For The Commonwealth; artists linked to Country Music Hall of Fame traditions; and students from colleges like Morehead State University and Berea College. Governance typically involves elected councils, working groups, and committees modeled after structures at scholarly societies such as American Historical Association and Association of American Geographers. Regional caucuses and interest groups connect members working on topics related to coalfield health, archives comparable to West Virginia Archives and History, and pedagogy similar to programs at Alice Lloyd College.

Awards and Recognition

The Association grants prizes and fellowships honoring scholarship and community engagement, comparable in prestige to awards given by Vanderbilt University Press or recognition programs like National Endowment for the Humanities grants. Named awards have celebrated contributions in fields represented by recipients with careers resembling those of Hazel Dickens in music, scholars in the lineage of Henry Shapiro, and community leaders akin to Jessie Daniel Ames. Honorary fellowships and lifetime-achievement recognitions have acknowledged partnerships with organizations such as Appalachian Regional Commission and cultural institutions like Berea College.

Impact and Criticism

The Association has influenced curricula at institutions including Appalachian State University and policy discussions involving Surface mining control and reclamation debates, while shaping public understanding through collaborations with museums and media outlets associated with NPR and documentary projects in the style of Ken Burns. Criticism has come from commentators concerned about representation, echoing debates seen in discourse around outsider anthropology and controversies similar to critiques of poverty tourism and cultural appropriation in Appalachia. Debates have involved stakeholders from universities such as University of Kentucky and grassroots groups like Coal River Mountain Watch, focusing on balance between academic research, advocacy, and community autonomy.

Category:Appalachian culture Category:Organizations established in the 1970s