Post Author: Mary Challman The 1970s was a fascinating and unique time in American history. There was a radical switch from the optimistic liberalism of the 1960s to the practical conservatism of the 1970s. The American South gained power in Continue reading James Madison University: Did Southernization Affect a Southern Institution?
Post Author: Mary Challman As the South became more industrialized throughout the late 1960s, the once rural areas that defined the traditional Southern lifestyle all but disappeared. “Bulldozers had ploughed under farms and forests; new factories and highways carved up Continue reading The Disappearance of Southern Ruralism: Nostalgia and Mockery of the Agricultural South
Post Author: Mary Challman As a former women’s college in the heart of Virginia, Madison College saw a great emphasis on being a “lady.” Womanhood was nothing short of celebrated; each year, a May queen was crowned (an honor that Continue reading Southern Womanhood
Post Author: Mary Challman The gendered Southern ideal was not limited to Southern womanhood; during the 1970s, the country also saw a growth in popularity of the ideal “Southern man” that stemmed from the spread of Southernization throughout the decade. Continue reading Redneck Style at Madison College/JMU: The Ideal Southern Man
Post Author: Mary Challman Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, The Rolling Stones…these are all bands that are heavily associated with the 1970s. Rock bands indubitably had an impact on American musical culture, especially because Continue reading “Singing Songs About the Southland”
Post Author: Mary Challman The spread of Southernization in the 1970s caused the widespread use of an important social and cultural icon: the Confederate, or “rebel,” flag. This was an important aspect of redneck culture that saw highly publicized use Continue reading Confederates in JMU’s Attic?
Post Author: Mary Challman The Madison College student body became defined by a single event in the early ’70s – the protest that was held in Wilson Hall in March, 1970. While other student protests that occurred across America in Continue reading The “Silent Majority” of the Student Body: The Growth of Republicanism Across the Sunbelt and Across JMU
