University to Celebrate 175th Anniversary

The University of Mississippi will observe 175 years of service to the state and the nation with a celebration at 1 p.m. Nov. 6 in front of the historic Lyceum. When Mississippi’s flagship university opened its doors on Nov. 6, 1848, with four faculty members and 80 students, it was poised to be the state’s

November SouthTalks start this week

American Landscapes book jacket

The SouthTalks fall season is winding down, but here are all the SouthTalks for the remainder of the semester: At noon Nov. 1, William Dunlap and W. Ralph Eubanks present “Southern Light, Southern Landscape” in the Speaker’s Gallery of the University Museum. They plan to discuss the connection between the landscape of the American South

Free “Desperation Road” screening set for Oct. 13

Desperation Road screening 10/13

Join author Michael Farris Smith at the Powerhouse in Oxford for an evening of cinema featuring the film adaptation of his book “Desperation Road.” Smith’s novel was named Indie Next, honored on numerous Best Books lists, and will be his second feature-film adaptation but the first to release. The Southern noir thriller is set in

Historian Focuses on Lives of Black Americans During Reconstruction

Kidada Williams

Kidada Williams gives annual Gilder-Jordan Lecture Many Americans learn in school that Reconstruction failed, but few can accurately identify who failed to do what and why. In the annual Gilder-Jordan Lecture in Southern Cultural History, historian and author Kidada E. Williams answers those questions in “The Devil Was Turned Loose: African Americans in the War Against Reconstruction.”

Honor Ted Ownby’s Contributions by Supporting Center Students

Ted Ownby on steps of Barnard Observatory

Retired University of Mississippi history and Southern Studies professor Ted Ownby often talks of his fondness for former students, and now those students can make history by providing for future scholars through the Ted Ownby Initiative to Support Graduate Education. By establishing the Ted Ownby Initiative to Support Graduate Education, graduate students in the years

SouthTalks Focus on Creativity in the South

Man standing in field

Lectures begin Sept. 6 with discussion of changing minds Creativity in the South is the programming theme for the 2023-24 academic year at the University of Mississippi‘s Center for the Study of Southern Culture. The fall SouthTalks series begins by recognizing that the U.S. South is a region of profound contrast. “Extreme poverty exists uneasily

Lodge Bolsters Mission of Southern Foodways Alliance

Showroom of Lodge cast iron skillet history

Cast iron cookware manufacturer invests in studies of region’s food and culture The Lodge Manufacturing Company, a fifth-generation, family-owned cast iron cookware company in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, is strengthening the mission of the Southern Foodways Alliance with an unrestricted gift of $150,000. Based at the University of Mississippi‘s Center for the Study of Southern Culture,

“Rough South of Larry Brown” screening set for July 12

Rough South of Larry Brown screening July 12

There will be a special free screening of “The Rough South of Larry Brown,” including a discussion with director Gary Hawkins, photographer Tom Rankin, and blues curator Greg Johnson at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 12. The program will include rarely seen photos and clips not in the original film. Sponsored by the Center for the

Celebrating Juneteenth

Independence Day in the United States is officially celebrated on 4 July, but for many Americans the 1776 Declaration of Independence did not signal freedom. Instead, Pres. Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation recognized and proclaimed freedom for enslaved people, even though the news did not reach all of them for several years. Juneteenth celebrations commemorate

Making History: Ted Ownby to Retire After 35 Years

Ted Ownby on steps of Barnard Observatory

After 35 years as a member of the University of Mississippi faculty, including 11 years as director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, history and Southern Studies professor Ted Ownby is preparing to retire at the end of June. During his time as a scholar, researcher and director at the center, it