The Southern State of Mind

The Southern State of Mind is a 1999 non-fiction essay collection edited by Jan Nordby Gretlund, published by University of South Carolina Press.

Contents

It has a total of sixteen essays. They are divided into four parts: "The Biracial South," "The Changing State of Mind,"[1] "Reconstructing Southern Identity,"[2] and one more section,[3] "Looking South and Back."

Charles Reagan Wilson wrote "The Myth of the Biracial South," which discusses contradictory definitions of the word "biracial" from different individuals.[4]

Tony Badger wrote an essay on how there is little cooperation between white and black people in the political sphere and that left-leaning white people working in politics are "much too intimidated."[4]

Paul M. Gaston wrote an article on the distortion of the public image of Martin Luther King that downplayed the ferocity in his politics when he was alive.[4]

Helen Oakley of the University of Nottingham stated that the essays demonstrate a decrease in "optimism" towards Black-White relationships.[5]

The final essay by C. Vann Woodward discusses his observation of a resurgence in racial segregation.[6]

Reception

Julie Armstrong of Valdosta State University stated that the work "holds together well" but would have been improved with "More diversity" in topics covered and the types of authors.[3] She added that at times the essays show candor in the state of race relations but the essays about Southern literature are "biased towards white writers."[1]

Gaines M. Foster of Louisiana State University praised the "thoughtful discussions of the state of the southern mind and race relations".[7]

Oakley described the book as a "valuable reference point".[8]

Bertram Wyatt-Brown of the University of Florida wrote that the book "presents an uncompromisingly realistic look" at the trajectory of Black-White relationships in the Southern United States at the time of publication.[6]

References
  • Armstrong, Julie Buckner (2000). "The Southern State of Mind". South Atlantic Review. 65 (4): 158–159. doi:10.2307/3201626. JSTOR 3201626.
  • Foster, Gaines M. (2001). "The Southern State of Mind". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 79 (4): 606–608. JSTOR 30150633.
  • Oakley, Helen (2001). "The Southern State of Mind". Journal of American Studies. 35 (3): 510–511. JSTOR 27557020.
  • Wyatt-Brown, Bertram (2002). "The Southern State of Mind". Journal of Southern History. 68 (4): 915–916. doi:10.2307/3069779. JSTOR 3069779.

Notes
  1. Armstrong, p. 158.
  2. Armstrong, p. 158-159.
  3. Armstrong, p. 159.
  4. Wyatt-Brown, p. 915.
  5. Oakley, p. 510.
  6. Wyatt-Brown, p. 916.
  7. Foster, p. 608.
  8. Oakley, p. 511.

Further reading
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