Cultural Modification in Rural Appalachia
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Release | : 2001 |
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In an effort to make Appalachia a more acceptable and productive region to the rest of the country, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) was created in 1965. This agency continued some of the efforts began by other redevelopment agencies, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), and the Area Redevelopment Agency (ARA). What was not in the original plan, however, was keeping an enormously rich existent culture alive. Having effected tremendous advancement in infrastructure, followed by continued industrial growth and health, social, and educational reform, Appalachia continues to experience the repercussions of those changes on the cultural level. Using personal interviews with volunteers who are older-generation, native Appalachians, regarding their experiences of life before, during, and after the ARC was introduced, this thesis explores the significance of cultural preservation, not only for rural Appalachians, but also for other groups threatened by cultural extinction.