Hillbilly Talkback: Co-Creation and Counter-Narrative in Appalachia
Name
justice-sm-cmsw-2021.pdf
Description
Thesis PDF
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848.27 KB
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Adobe PDF
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c34928c8f52d259ce40afa1888952db1
Author(s)
Justice, Elon B.
Advisor(s)
Bald, Vivek
Date Issued
June 2021
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The Appalachian region has been systematically stereotyped in popular media representations for over a century, contributing to many of the structural, economic, and psychological challenges faced by those who live there. In order to solve this issue, it is necessary to produce compelling counter-representations which undermine the dominant regime of representation around Appalachia.
In this thesis, I explore some of the most common image types used to represent Appalachia in popular media and assess the potential of co-creative documentary practices to create representations which challenge these harmful images. I begin with an explanation of the importance of representation, drawing from the work of Stuart Hall in cultural studies, and an introduction to co-creative methodologies in media production. Next, I recount the history of four tropes commonly used to represent Appalachia in popular media. Finally, I examine two co-creative documentaries set in the Appalachian region – Elaine McMillion Sheldon’s Hollow and my own The Appalachian Retelling Project – to assess these projects’ approaches to co-creation and the counter-narratives that emerge from them. Ultimately, I argue that co-creation is an effective methodology for producing compelling counter-representations of Appalachia and for other groups like it who have been systematically misrepresented.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Program in Comparative Media Studies/Writing
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