The Appalachian-American Culture

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Appalachian Culture
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Culture plays a significant role in determining how people behave when interacting with others and making routine decisions. Culture defines the uniqueness of a person’s way of life that distinguishes them from others. Art, food, narratives, and dressing distinguishes one culture from another. Additionally, culture helps to identify people’s practices and customs across different parts of the world and their perception about others. I grew up in an environment that practiced the Appalachian culture, but realized it later in life. Growing up in Atlanta has massively influenced my social interactions, perceptions, routine activities, and ability to express key components of my culture.

Appalachian Culture

The U.S is a large country with diverse various cultures including the Appalachian culture. The Appalachian-American culture is sometimes referred to as ‘The Americana’. It is characterized by myths and folklore, multiple ethnic groups, arts and crafts, farming, and stereotypes (Parungao and Miller-Slough). I grew up in Atlanta and some parts of the North Georgia Mountains served as playing grounds and farming fields. Appalachians being farmers, I spent most of my early childhood moments on the farm. The Appalachian region was considered a rural area that could only take part in agricultural activities.

Personal Experiences with Appalachian Culture

The ability to identify oneself depends on how much one embraces their culture and recognizes its value in society. As a child, I thought that it was standard procedure for us to work on the farmlands and not take part in any other economic activity. When I reached high school, I interacted with other students and realized that our cultural practices were different from the other students. While we only took part in agriculture, the other students engaged in businesses that suited the urban way of living. I faced difficulties in keeping up with the sociological demands of urban school life such as mandatory participation in extracurricular activities. It took a while to adjust to the new normal since my culture required children to help out in farming and there were no other alternative activities.

Self-confidence enables people to be proud of their identity, background, and culture. Throughout my high school life, I considered myself an introvert who lacked social interaction skills to enable me to connect with my peers. Consequently, I developed low self-esteem and became very shy. I blamed my culture for not wiring me well enough to relate with others and even saw no point in associating myself with the Appalachian way of life. At the time, I did not regard myself as a student who could initiate conversations, make friends or even form or join a football club.

A positive perception of oneself, to a greater extent, influences how he views himself and his culture. In my childhood years, I belittled and self-pitied myself and knew that my culture was odd. Over the years, stereotyping and ethnocentrism have affected the general interactions of the Appalachian community. For instance, stereotypes such as ‘uneducated, poor, and odd’ have been used by people who are culturally misinformed to propagate false information about the Appalachian culture (Rittenour et al. 291-298). As a consequence, I became ashamed of my culture while in school and could not blend with the other students. Reading the history of the U.S introduced me to the concept of cultural relativism. Relativism denotes that culture should be best understood based on how its people express it as opposed to using other people’s culture as a yardstick measure of how other cultures should be (Colchester). I learned to appreciate my diverse cultural practices and slowly began to interact with others.

People of Appalachian origin have been wrongly defined or identified hence the need to clearly define and understand who they are and what their culture is. Appalachia has been defined as a unique geographical and cultural region in the United States that stretches from Southern New York to North Alabama and Georgia (Isaacs et al). Appalachian on the other hand refers to the way of living of the people in the Appalachian region of the U.S, their practices, food, art, folklores and mythical beliefs (Isaacs et al). As a person originating from the Appalachian descent, I would define Appalachia as a region with deep cultural heritage and unique ethnical diversity. On the other hand, Appalachian would mean a unique culture that has been demeaned due to misinformation and stereotypes but is now gradually gaining recognition and importance into the U.S history.

Conclusion

The U.S has many cultures including the Appalachian culture that is associated with people from the Appalachia Mountain. Therefore, the country is culturally diversified promoting social and economic growth. Ethnocentrism and stereotyping are detrimental to cultural awareness, making individuals fail to appreciate their ethnicity. As a child, I did not appreciate my culture until I was in high school where I read about history and the importance of culture. Although I was aware of the benefits of my culture, stereotypes made me have a second thoughts. Through learning from my high school experience and exposure, I have become more aware and prouder of the Appalachian culture. I have also developed a positive attitude towards my culture and that of others.

Works Cited

Parungao, Daryl, and Rachel Miller-Slough. “Exploring the Experiences of Emerging Adulthood among Rural Appalachian Students.”Appalachian Student Research Forum & Jay S. Boland Undergraduate Research Symposium, 2022. Web.

Rittenour, C.E., Baker, J.P., Burgess, K.B., Shields, K.E. and Okai, L.B. “Communicated Stereotypes, Attitudes, and Intended Accommodation of Appalachians”. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 49(4), 2022, doi:10.1080/17475759.2020.1772342.

Colchester, Marcus. “Cultural Relativism and Indigenous Rights: Rethinking Some Dilemmas in Applied Anthropology (Part 1).” Anthropology Today, vol. 37, no. 3, 2021. Web.

Isaacs, Sydeena, et al. “Characteristics, Perceptions, and Dietary Intakes of WIC Participants in Rural Appalachia.” Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 2021. Web.

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The Appalachian-American Culture

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