One of the key themes in our latest readings is about out-migration from the Appalachian region during this time period. In what ways did out-migration differ across social classes? What differences were there between races? What factors were responsible for these differences? Where did people move to? Why? Did they move immediately or was there a transition period?
Out migration is not an uncommon pursuit. As far as the differences in circumstances in lieu of families’ out migration, the extent to which they identify with their Appalachian identities can be influential to their outlooks and adjustment outside of Appalachia. In some cases, individuals experienced conflicted over their original Appalachian identities. Earlier in the course we considered the power of labeling after watching social psychologist Jane Elliot’s experiment with elementary school children and the effects of her telling them the color of ones’ eyes are signifiers indicative of someone’s intelligence. Similarly, the social stigma of being laleled as Appalachian has adverse effects the seem to interfere with individuals’ interaction with outside society even out of the region itself.
Race is an interesting factor to consider when discussing out migration because of the mythos associated with the Appalachian as being stereotypically caucasian and ignorant “rednecks.”