Using Oral Histories as an ‘Avenue to Difficult Truth-telling’

Sarah Rodriguez wears a yellow sweater

Sarah Rodriguez blends love for food and meaningful conversation at Southern Foodways Alliance Sarah Rodriguez engages with people through her work as an oral historian, honing skills such as honesty and empathy building. She also enjoys connecting with them over a meal, which is not surprising, given her job with the Southern Foodways Alliance. “I like

Dara Cooper to receive SFA’s John Egerton Prize

Join the Southern Foodways Alliance for a virtual event with the Southern Festival of Books Thursday, October 7 at 7:30 p.m. CT, when they present the 2021 John Egerton Prize to Dara Cooper, national organizer with the National Black Food & Justice Alliance. Dara will be in conversation with poet Jasmine Mans, and the event

CSSC/SFA Joint Statement

September 1, 2020 On July 6, the director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture (CSSC) and the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Mississippi (UM) released a statement in response to specific and concerning critiques of the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) and its director, John T. Edge.

Plans for the Future of the SFA

July 6, 2020 The past few days have brought rising criticism of the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) that questions past action, its current state, and its future direction.  We take those concerns very seriously.  In the coming days, we will be assembling a planning committee that will include faculty and staff of the Center for

Earn your MFA in Documentary Expression

Interested individuals are encouraged to apply to the Center’s Master of Fine Arts in Documentary Expression program, which began in the fall of 2017. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2019. The MFA is a two-year (30-hour) graduate program that combines coursework in Southern Studies and interdisciplinary fields with advanced training in photography, film,

MISSISSIPPI ENCYCLOPEDIA and POTLIKKER PAPERS Recognized by MIAL

The Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters has awarded Center publication The Mississippi Encyclopedia its 2018 Special Achievement Award, and John T. Edge, Director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, has received the MIAL Nonfiction award for his book The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South.

Apply to our MFA Program in Documentary Expression

Apply to Our MFA Program in Documentary Expression The Center invites applications to our Master of Fine Arts in Documentary Expression program, which began in the fall of 2017. The MFA is a two-year (30-hour) graduate program that combines coursework in Southern Studies and interdisciplinary fields with advanced training in photography, film, and audio production. Coursework

New MISSISSIPPI STORY on the Jewish Community of Natchez

There has been a Jewish community in Natchez, Mississippi for 175 years—and Robin Amer’s family has been part of it for 160 of them. But now the number of Jews in Natchez has dwindled to only a handful. In this audio story, Robin returns to learn what culinary culture might disappear when they’re gone.