Book description
Appalachia has played a complex and often contradictory role in the
unfolding of American history. Created by urban journalists in the
years following the Civil War, the idea of Appalachia provided a
counterpoint to emerging definitions of progress.
Early-twentieth-century critics of modernity saw the region as a
remnant of frontier life, a reflection of simpler times that should be
preserved and protected. However, supporters of development and of the
growth of material production, consumption, and technology decried
what they perceived as the isolation and backwardness of the place and
sought to "uplift" the mountain people through education and
industrialization. Ronald D Eller has worked with local leaders, state
policymakers, and national planners to translate the lessons of
private industrial-development history into public policy affecting
the region. In Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945, Eller examines
the politics of development in Appalachia since World War II with an
eye toward exploring the idea of progress as it has evolved in modern
America. Appalachia's struggle to overcome poverty, to live in harmony
with the land, and to respect the diversity of cultures and the value
of community is also an American story. In the end, Eller concludes,
"Appalachia was not different from the rest of America; it was in
fact a mirror of what the nation was becoming."
""Eller offers a tight and at times passionate narrative
of major historical events since 1945 and their connection to the
national scene." --Jake Struhelka, West Virginia History" --
Ronald D Eller is former director of the Appalachian Center and
professor of history at the University of Kentucky. He is the author
of Miners, Millhands, and Mountaineers: Industrialization of the
Appalachian South, 1880--1930.
