The Rhetoric of Appalachian Identity

Download or read book The Rhetoric of Appalachian Identity written by Todd Snyder and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-07-08 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this work the various ways that social, economic, and cultural factors influence the identities and educational aspirations of rural working-class Appalachian learners are explored. The objectives are to highlight the cultural obstacles that impact the intellectual development of such students and to address how these cultural roadblocks make transitioning into college difficult. Throughout the book, the author draws upon his personal experiences as a first-generation college student from a small coalmining town in rural West Virginia. Both scholarly and personal, the book blends critical theory, ethnographic research, and personal narrative to demonstrate how family work histories and community expectations both shape and limit the academic goals of potential Appalachian college students.