Papers by Tammy Clemons
This dissertation, based on anthropological research between 2015 and 2020, focuses on young peop... more This dissertation, based on anthropological research between 2015 and 2020, focuses on young people in different yet interconnected social contexts in Central Appalachia and how they envision, construct, and act upon possibilities for themselves and the region through multimodal cultural production processes like visual art, performance, and multisensory media. The research question focusing this project was: How do the social contexts of young Appalachians' engagement in media consumption and production practices shape the possibilities they envision for themselves, others, and their region? I found that the specific contexts were less important than the interconnected mentoring conversations across sites and generations (which can be measured in decades or a few years). Grounded in feminist activist ethnography and participatory praxis, method/ologies intentionally include research collaborators as knowledge producers, co-theorists, and scholar-activist-practitioners. My mixed-method approach included "observant participation" with young people and their "formerly young" mentors in key educational media programs and communities; semi-structured interviews; and selective digital ethnography and public multimodal youth cultural productions by research collaborators. This dissertation problematizes the category of "young Appalachians," often invoked in regional development conversations, pointing out how young people are differently situated in terms of identity and access, and including voices in the region that have been silenced in many contexts. This multi-sited ethnography pays attention to gendered, generational, and racialized dynamics in different spaces for youth identity construction and cultural production in what began as three varied educational sites in West Virginia and East(ern) Kentucky. I developed the notion of "Meta'lachia" as the scope of "field sites" broadened beyond discreet locations and shifted to a more complex and often interconnected range of, and flows between, multi-layered social c [...]
Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, 2020
4 While focusing on the topic and experience of youth in oral history is not common, there are ex... more 4 While focusing on the topic and experience of youth in oral history is not common, there are examples of projects that intentionally engage young people in the recording of oral history interviews with people from older generations, particularly those with some first-hand experience and reflections of historical events and time periods. Perhaps the best-known example in the Appalachian region is the Foxfire project.
Anthropology News, 2018
From the Andean highlands to Appalachia, anthropologists from across the discipline open their fi... more From the Andean highlands to Appalachia, anthropologists from across the discipline open their field bags to reveal favorite pens, recording equipment, emergency granola bars, and - of course - scarves. What's in your bag?
Authors:
Clemons, Tammy,
Faas, A.J.,
Genovese, Taylor R.,
Hendrickson, Carol,
Ponce De Leon, Alejandro,
Scelza, Brooke,
White, Nancy,
Zanotti, Laura,
Bafford, Doug,
Mazur-Stommen, Susan,
Hefner, Claire-Marie,
Balonek, Michael T.,
Stinnett, Ashley,
Maksymowicz Mroz, Natalia
Visual Ethnography, 2016
This article discusses issues of collaboration and voice in the ongoing production of a multimedi... more This article discusses issues of collaboration and voice in the ongoing production of a multimedia and multimodal documentary project about Frances and John Reedy from Harlan, Kentucky, their cyclical migration from Appalachia to Ohio, and their extensive musical recordings and contributions to the founding of Bluegrass music. The authors share insights about the educational purpose and process of producing a personal and public documentary in relation to digital design and community scholarship, family history and counterstorytelling, and memory and representation. Selected multimedia content from the documentary Website are featured as examples of the Reedys’ self-documentation practices and how they relate to the collaborative documentary process and productions.
anthropologies: A Collaborative Online Project, Nov 1, 2011
Women of Appalachia Conference Proceedings, 2003
This paper is a call to action for Appalachian women and men and feminist scholars to discuss the... more This paper is a call to action for Appalachian women and men and feminist scholars to discuss the relevance, character, and applications of ecofeminism in Appalachia. I will explore both the theoretical and practical elements of ecofeminism, drawing upon my Appalachian background and my personal attempt to live and model a sustainable lifestyle. By illustrating the interconnection between the precepts of ecofeminism and the natural and cultural gifts of the Appalachian region, I hope to inspire others to think of creative solutions to the sexism and ecological devastation which impede the self-empowerment of Appalachian women and men, and which contribute to the economical, ecological, and cultural impoverishment of our communities.
Domestic Goddesses: Critical Essays (An On-line Journal on the Writing of “Scribbling Women”), 1999
"This [undergraduate] paper examines Gilman's utopic novel, looking at education, language and se... more "This [undergraduate] paper examines Gilman's utopic novel, looking at education, language and sex roles in this feminist civilization."
PLEASE NOTE: These sources may be helpful but are very dated.
Book Reviews by Tammy Clemons
Journal of American Folklore, 2024
Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, 2023
Journal of Appalachian Studies, 2021
100 Days in Appalachia is one of multiple multimedia counter-storytelling endeavors aiming to dec... more 100 Days in Appalachia is one of multiple multimedia counter-storytelling endeavors aiming to deconstruct, complicate, and represent more nuanced and multivocal representations of the region. The website includes a brief statement about its founding "as an experimental pop-up publication, designed to candidly narrate the first 100 days of [the forty-fifth] presidency from within the heart of a region dubbed "[His] Country." 1 Readers are reminded of those tumultuous first one hundred days through, for example,
Journal of Appalachian Studies, 2022
Journal of American Folklore, 2022
Journal of Appalachian Studies, 2014
Talks by Tammy Clemons
At the 2016 conference, the session “Examining Feminism in Appalachia through Historical Scholars... more At the 2016 conference, the session “Examining Feminism in Appalachia through Historical Scholarship: A Discussion of Women of the Mountain South” attracted a large audience, and the discussion among presenters and attendees brought up many contemporary aspects of feminism in Appalachia that were mentioned only briefly due to the session time limit. For example, feminism is not fully integrated within Appalachian Studies, and the concept of place is not significantly present in feminist discussions on intersectionality. Thus, we want to carry the conversation forward this year by turning our attention to contemporary feminism in Appalachia. The presenters represent a mix of academic, community, and activist perspectives, and we intend to begin the conversation by introducing topics including the intersections of power and privilege for women and feminist ideas in Appalachia, the importance of social media and feminism in Appalachia, and ecofeminist activism and livelihoods. Moreover, we intend to promote feminist commitments to social justice by making space available for audience participation in order to invite as many voices into the discussion as possible. The purpose of this roundtable discussion is to continue and advance the discussion of feminism in Appalachia among and for scholars, activists, and community members who are engaged in work related to women’s and gender issues
How do you define the word “young”? What youth generation do you identify with? What was it like ... more How do you define the word “young”? What youth generation do you identify with? What was it like to be a young person where and when you grew up? There are practical and philosophical ways to define who is young, what youth means, and what is possible for young people to imagine and enact. There are also political economic implications for categorizing youth generations, equating “youth” with the “future,” and determining to what extent and which young people are included in regional development. Drawing from ethnographic and oral history interviews with present-day young people and “formerly young” people in Central Appalachia, this paper will discuss what it means to be “young” in particular places and time periods. Voices include people from a range of chronological and cultural generations who have been involved in different youth-led, youth-focused, and intergenerational organizations and movements in the Appalachian region and beyond. By reflecting on what it means to be young and sharing stories about their own experiences, these research collaborators challenge notions of youth as a static population or identity. They also offer insights about time, technology, education, community development, and social activism. This paper incorporates research from a larger dissertation project, which is supported in part by a Kentucky Oral History Commission Project Grant
Visualizing Appalachia Symposium, 2018
This interactive workshop will discuss and explore critical approaches to the digital humanities ... more This interactive workshop will discuss and explore critical approaches to the digital humanities and will provide a sample demonstration of some practical activities and tools that can be incorporated into youth media education programs, curricula, and best practices. Skills and resources will focus on issues of “digital citizenship” such as artistic integrity/fair use, media literacy, information credibility, personal safety, digital privacy/online security, and online organizing/collaboration. There is often a gap between the digital knowledge of educators and young people, and it can be challenging for people of all ages to engage knowledgeably and ethically with digital -scapes in Appalachia. Educators can incorporate critical literacies and pedagogical strategies to help students navigate issues of surveillance and the volume and life-span of digital artifacts an increasingly networked, visible, and visual world as well as help them use digital media in new ways to voice their own ideas, critiques, and visions within and about the region. I will begin this workshop by briefly summarizing my dissertation research with youth and media education programs in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. Drawing from ethnographic interviews and personal experience, I will discuss the need for greater digital literacy and citizenship amidst larger issues of defunding arts education and changing educational standards. The workshop portion invites participants to bring their personal devices for an interactive walk-through of some resources for integration into youth-focused and/or arts-related education. Participants will also share their knowledge about different digital tools and their own teaching, artistic media, and social change approaches.
In mainstream media, there are many negative representations of both women and girls as well of t... more In mainstream media, there are many negative representations of both women and girls as well of the Appalachian region. Young people are active consumers of visual media, and they have agency in how they choose to engage with it and in using it to tell their own stories. High Rocks Educational Corporation is a non-profit organization with a mission “to educate, empower, and inspire” young women in West Virginia. Through various programs such as summer camps, after-school tutoring, and college visits, this place-based organization provides intergenerational and peer-oriented leadership and mentorship opportunities in its three-county service area (Greenbrier, Nicholas, and Pocahontas). Camp Steele, a 2-week summer camp for high school girls, is organized around different intensive courses, including a media track, that campers can major and minor in. The course on media literacy and media production focuses on facilitating girls’ exploration, construction, and expression of their voices and self-representations. The curriculum focuses on both developing critical thinking skills for reading media productions and providing hands-on media production training for producing their own media content. This collaborative multimedia presentation will include an introductory overview of the High Rocks media education program for high school girls, a screening of selected student-produced video projects, and a panel discussion with the teachers and filmmakers.
Media ecology can refer to media as another environmental system in which people live and must su... more Media ecology can refer to media as another environmental system in which people live and must survive. In relation to regional studies, media ecology can include how a region and its people are portrayed in the media, how they are influenced by it, as well as how they influence media through their own interpretations or “talking back” by creating their own. The metaphor of “ecology” also highlights the way that media messages and technology can impact environmental and economic sustainability. This paper will explore the notion of media ecology in the use of visual media as a tool for organizing and activism in the “Two Souths” of Central/Southern Appalachia and the Bolivian Andes in South America. I will share some examples of media programs and projects in both regions that address social and environmental justice issues, including popular education, media literacy, and human rights. For example, a human rights film festival in Bolivia covered topics such as mining and prisoner rights, which are also issues addressed in films produced by organizations like Appalshop. I will close with some implications for future research as well as potential opportunities for Appalachian/Andean visual media networks and collaborations.
This multi-media presentation will feature video, audio/musical excerpts, and archival materials ... more This multi-media presentation will feature video, audio/musical excerpts, and archival materials from a documentary-in-progress about the musical and familial legacy of Frances and John Reedy. The Reedys were early bluegrass musicians who temporarily migrated north from Corbin, Kentucky to work in Dayton, Ohio during the late 1940’s through early 1960’s. There they became part of both a much larger migrant Appalachian population in Ohio as well as a substantial transplanted Appalachian Rock-a-Billy music scene of honky-tonks and independent Bluegrass record labels in the Dayton area. They lived in Dayton during the workweek and commuted home to Kentucky every weekend until the mid-1960’s when they permanently returned to live in Corbin. This session builds on a 2010 ASA presentation on the Reedys and will focus on (1) recent findings from the Kentucky Historical Society about their early career in Harlan, Kentucky; (2) the commercial and home recordings produced in Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio during their migration cycles; and (3) video footage of the Reedys’ sons, Harold and Tim, and their memories of their parents music and migration.
Films can be a powerful tool of social expression, advocacy, and activism. This hands-on workshop... more Films can be a powerful tool of social expression, advocacy, and activism. This hands-on workshop will explore filmmaking and digital storytelling as an instrument of social action and will provide case studies, resources, and basic skills for organizing public film screenings on behalf of social and environmental issues and activism. Activities will include storytelling exercises, viewing brief excerpts/examples of activist films/digital stories, outlining/planning logistics for public events, and video documentation. This workshop is offered in conjunction with the CCPS “Climate Change and Water Film Festival” co-sponsored by the Berea College Ecological Sustainability Education (ESE) Program.
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Papers by Tammy Clemons
Authors:
Clemons, Tammy,
Faas, A.J.,
Genovese, Taylor R.,
Hendrickson, Carol,
Ponce De Leon, Alejandro,
Scelza, Brooke,
White, Nancy,
Zanotti, Laura,
Bafford, Doug,
Mazur-Stommen, Susan,
Hefner, Claire-Marie,
Balonek, Michael T.,
Stinnett, Ashley,
Maksymowicz Mroz, Natalia
PLEASE NOTE: These sources may be helpful but are very dated.
Book Reviews by Tammy Clemons
Talks by Tammy Clemons
Authors:
Clemons, Tammy,
Faas, A.J.,
Genovese, Taylor R.,
Hendrickson, Carol,
Ponce De Leon, Alejandro,
Scelza, Brooke,
White, Nancy,
Zanotti, Laura,
Bafford, Doug,
Mazur-Stommen, Susan,
Hefner, Claire-Marie,
Balonek, Michael T.,
Stinnett, Ashley,
Maksymowicz Mroz, Natalia
PLEASE NOTE: These sources may be helpful but are very dated.