Defense Date

4-12-2024

Graduation Date

Summer 8-10-2024

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

English

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts

Committee Chair

Tom Kinnahan

Committee Member

Faith Barret

Committee Member

Kathy Glass

Keywords

country music, Appalachian Mountains, ecocriticism, place, placelessness, Yi-Fu Tuan

Abstract

Drawing upon cultural geographer Yi-Fu Tuan’s frame of place and placelessness, this ecocritical project explores how the mountain landscapes serve to construct regional, national, cultural, spiritual, religious, even racialized identities in various human societies. Using the U.S. country music as a primary example, I argue that what country music fundamentally draws from the imagery of the Appalachian Mountains is not the Anglo-Saxon ballad music or pastoral lifestyle of/from the mountains, but the powerful sense of place and placelessness (arguably only) the mountainous scenes are capable to provoke. This exploration serves to illuminate the commonalties between humanities of different cultures and eras and also provides a pedagogical method for gaining a more nuanced understanding of global cultures.

Language

English

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