José E. Limón, University of Nortre Dame, will present on critical regionalism, popular culture, and the uses of literacies. His presentation will place Appalachia in comparison with Mexican-American south Texas. Students will learn how regional musical cultures interact with literacy and the sense of place in two key U.S. contexts.
Dr. Limón's talk will draw on the concept of critical regionalism, as originally explored in Douglas Powell’s work on Appalachian popular culture. Through this concept, Appalachia will be put into comparative conjunction with Mexican-American south Texas and the American Midwest, with some emphasis on musical culture in Ohio. Evoking Richard Hoggart’s 1957 critical and autobiographical work, The Uses of Literacy, Dr. Limón's talk will also explore the role of the regional student-intellectual in these processes, with the principal examples of Américo Paredes, Douglas Powell, and Limón himself.
This event is presented by the Center for Folklore Studies, and co-sponsored by LASER, Latino/a Studies, the Literacy in Appalachia GradGroup, and The Appalachian Project.
