Call for papers: The Tacky South
American Studies Association Annual Meeting
Atlanta, Georgia
November 8-11, 2018
American Studies Association Annual Meeting
Atlanta, Georgia
November 8-11, 2018
As a way to comment on a person’s style, the word “tacky” has distinctly
southern origins. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it first emerged
around 1800 as a noun to describe “a poor white of the Southern States from
Virginia to Georgia.” Although the OED does not draw connections between this
origin and the origins of the adjective describing something “dowdy, shabby;
in poor taste, cheap, vulgar,” these definitions suggest a clear link between
national stereotypes of region, race, and class and urbane (and northern urban?)
notions of taste, class, and sensibility.
southern origins. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it first emerged
around 1800 as a noun to describe “a poor white of the Southern States from
Virginia to Georgia.” Although the OED does not draw connections between this
origin and the origins of the adjective describing something “dowdy, shabby;
in poor taste, cheap, vulgar,” these definitions suggest a clear link between
national stereotypes of region, race, and class and urbane (and northern urban?)
notions of taste, class, and sensibility.
This panel will use these observations regarding the term’s origin to ask new
questions about how southern culture and identity have been and continue to
be associated with “tackiness.” For instance, in what ways are questions of taste
and class still bound up with regional identification? Or, how do “lowbrow,”
popular representations transmit and recreate images of the South and
southern history? Should we be suspicious of the celebration and enjoyment of
southern tackiness at both the popular and scholarly levels? What power
structures emerge from labeling something as “tacky” or the implementation of
tackiness as an aesthetic mode? Ranging from the rise in popularity of
southern-themed reality shows and tourist attractions, to mainstream media’s
attempts to address topics such as slavery and civil rights, often the specters of
class, race, and region still linger in contemporary notions of what registers as
tacky, particularly in the way it refers to things that are cheap, vulgar, common,
and unsophisticated. This panel will consist of three to four, 15-20 minute
presentations.
questions about how southern culture and identity have been and continue to
be associated with “tackiness.” For instance, in what ways are questions of taste
and class still bound up with regional identification? Or, how do “lowbrow,”
popular representations transmit and recreate images of the South and
southern history? Should we be suspicious of the celebration and enjoyment of
southern tackiness at both the popular and scholarly levels? What power
structures emerge from labeling something as “tacky” or the implementation of
tackiness as an aesthetic mode? Ranging from the rise in popularity of
southern-themed reality shows and tourist attractions, to mainstream media’s
attempts to address topics such as slavery and civil rights, often the specters of
class, race, and region still linger in contemporary notions of what registers as
tacky, particularly in the way it refers to things that are cheap, vulgar, common,
and unsophisticated. This panel will consist of three to four, 15-20 minute
presentations.
By January 27, 2018 please submit 250-word abstracts along with A/V
requirements and a short, 100-word bio to Katie Burnett, Fisk University
(kburnett@fisk.edu) and Monica Miller, Middle Georgia State University
(monica.miller@mga.edu).
requirements and a short, 100-word bio to Katie Burnett, Fisk University
(kburnett@fisk.edu) and Monica Miller, Middle Georgia State University
(monica.miller@mga.edu).
No comments:
Post a Comment