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

SouthTalks series begins Jan. 25 with Michael Fagans

A black and white photo of Edmund Clark standing in a field in the Mississippi Delta

The programming focus at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture for the 2022-23 academic year is “Race in the Classroom,” and the spring SouthTalks lectures follow that theme. Historically, classrooms have functioned as both intensely local spaces and as broader political stages on which debates about equality, identity and access have played out

Skating South: Documenting Skate Culture in Mississippi

Skateboarders at the Oxford Skate Park

A project documenting the stories and culture of skateboarders in Mississippi created by students at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture enrolled in the Southern Studies 533: Fieldwork and Oral History course in Fall 2022 (taught by John Rash and Melanie Ho). This video was originally screened at Oxford Skate Park, November 2,

Fall SouthTalks Explore Theme of Race in the Classroom

Historically, classrooms have functioned as both intensely local spaces and as broader political stages on which debates about equality, identity and access have played out – nowhere to greater effect than at the University of Mississippi, which marks the 60th anniversary of its integration this fall. With that in mind, programming for 2022-23 academic year

SouthTalks continue this semester

We are halfway through the semester, and the SouthTalks offer several interesting lectures. At 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 24 for this virtual event, Annemarie Anderson, Simone Delerme, and Kelly Spivey present the Summer Avenue Oral History Project. Summer Avenue, a six-mile section of US Highway 70, one of the first paved, signed highways in

Fall Documentary Showcase set for Dec. 2

Text that says Fall Documentary Showcase at the Powerhouse Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m.

The Center for the Study of Southern Culture’s Documentary Showcase will take place at the Powerhouse.  Students from various disciplines enrolled in Southern Studies documentary courses and graduate students in both the M.A. and M.F.A. programs will present projects they have worked on this semester. This fall’s event promises to be the biggest one yet, with

Simone Delerme receives one of six Achieving Equity Grants

The University of Mississippi is funding six Achieving Equity Grants for faculty, staff, and students to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through research and creative scholarship. First funded in 2020, the competitive seed grant program explores challenges common to UM and other institutions where the knowledge gained will lead to advancements in community and campus

Ralph Eubanks Receives Harvard Radcliffe Honor

Ralph Eubanks

UM professor and author plans to use fellowship to write a book examining the Delta Walking your dog can be a routine event, or it could be the exact time someone calls your cellphone from a prestigious university sharing the exciting news that you’ve been named a 2021 fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute. W.

Christian Leus brings true crime to life with thesis project

While doing historical research on her hometown of Altheimer, Arkansas, Southern Studies graduate student Christian Leus stumbled across an article about a 19-year-old girl named Irene Taylor. The girl was murdered in 1939, with her body dumped into the bayou that runs through town. “It turns out, she was a distant cousin of mine!” Leus