Journal of Appalachian Studies

Journal of Appalachian Studies is a peer-reviewed academic periodical focusing on the culture, history, politics, and environment of the Appalachian region. The journal publishes scholarship that engages with the people, places, and institutions of Appalachia and connects regional inquiry to broader conversations involving United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, and transatlantic linkages. It bridges interdisciplinary work from scholars associated with organizations such as the Appalachian Studies Association, Vanderbilt University, University of Kentucky, West Virginia University, and the University of North Carolina system.

History

The journal traces institutional roots to conferences and networks including the Appalachian Studies Association and the Appalachian Regional Commission, with antecedents in programs at Hindman Settlement School, Alice Lloyd College, Berea College, and East Tennessee State University. Early editorial leadership featured scholars affiliated with Marshall University, University of Virginia, Ohio University, University of Tennessee, and Duke University, and engaged public figures linked to the Coal Act debates, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, and regional policy initiatives involving the Tennessee Valley Authority. Over decades the journal has published work connected to events such as the Harlan County coal miners' strikes, the Buffalo Creek Flood, the Matewan Massacre historiography, and cultural responses exemplified by artists associated with Appalachian Center for Craft, Folkways Records, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Scope and Content

Articles situate Appalachian topics alongside scholarship from departments and centers at Harvard University, Princeton University, Columbia University, Yale University, Stanford University, Cornell University, University of Michigan, Ohio State University, and Indiana University. Subjects include labor history connected to organizations like the United Mine Workers of America and incidents such as the Monongah mining disaster, environmental histories related to the Daniel Boone National Forest, and cultural studies referencing musicians such as Jean Ritchie, Doc Watson, Roscoe Holcomb, and literary figures like Harper Lee, Barbara Kingsolver, Wendell Berry, and Cormac McCarthy when they intersect with Appalachian themes. The journal also publishes archival research tied to repositories such as the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Archives and Records Administration, and university special collections at West Virginia University Libraries and University of Kentucky Libraries.

Editorial and Publication Details

The editorial board has historically included scholars from Appalachian State University, Radford University, Morehead State University, Marshall University, and Middle Tennessee State University, and features contributors who have held positions at the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Ford Foundation, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Publication formats have ranged from peer-reviewed articles and book reviews—often engaging works by authors published by University Press of Kentucky, University of Tennessee Press, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and Routledge—to special themed issues on topics such as public health crises linked to the Opioid epidemic in the United States, extractive industries tied to firms like Pittston Coal Company and Peabody Energy, and community arts projects associated with Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre and the John C. Campbell Folk School.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in services that catalog humanities and social sciences research, including databases maintained by entities such as the Modern Language Association, the American Historical Association, the American Anthropological Association, the Association of American Geographers, and regional indexing by the Coalition for Networked Information. Citations appear in bibliographies collected by the Society for American Archaeology, the American Folklore Society, and library discovery systems at institutions like Princeton University Library, Yale University Library, and University of North Carolina Library.

Reception and Impact

Scholars and public intellectuals from institutions such as Berea College, Vanderbilt University, University of Kentucky, University of Tennessee, and West Virginia University cite the journal in research on labor movements like the Paxinosa miners' campaigns and policy debates around programs such as the Appalachian Regional Development Act. The journal has influenced curriculum development in programs at Appalachian State University, informed exhibitions at museums including the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine and the Museum of Appalachia, and contributed to oral history projects coordinated with the StoryCorps initiative and the Southern Oral History Program. Reviews in periodicals produced by Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and university presses have highlighted the journal's role in shaping debates on environmental justice connected to cases like Bragg v. Robertson and cultural representation debates involving initiatives at the National Endowment for the Arts.

Category:Academic journals Category:Appalachian studies