Dr. James L. Peacock
"THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL FORCES ON THE U.S. SOUTH, ESPECIALLY FROM A CULTURAL VIEWPOINT"
Date: Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Time: 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Place: Donovan Lounge, 2nd Floor Greenlaw Hall
The Folklore Program is proud to host a presentation by Dr. James Peacock--Kenan Professor of
Anthropology at UNC, and an affiliated professor with the Folklore Program--on Tuesday, Feb.
19, at 4:00 p.m. in Greenlaw Hall's Donovan Lounge. Dr. Peacock will be speaking about "The Impact
of Global Forces on the U.S. South, Especially from a Cultural Viewpoint." Please join us as we
consider what happens when a region that has long been celebrated for its love of tradition goes
global.
The American South has long defined itself--and been defined by outsiders--in terms of its
differences with the North. Yet the region is rapidly moving out of this national and oppositional
frame of reference into one that is more international and integrative. At the same time that the
South is going global (and serving as home for such international brands as UPS, CNN, and KFC),
ever-increasing numbers of immigrants are making this region their home . . . and becoming
southerners. Much has been made of the demographic and economic aspects of this shift. In this
colloquium presentation, Dr. Peacock will discuss globalism's impact on a region legendarily
resistant to change, and the impact this shift is having on the southern sense of self.
Jim Peacock has long studied issues of history, memory, and globalism in the U.S. South and
Southeast Asia. In 2007, he authored the much-acclaimed study “Grounded Globalism: How the U.S.
South Embraces the World,” while in 2005, he co-edited “The American South in a Global World.”
The Folklore Program's “New Directions in Folklore” Colloquium Series continues on Monday,
February 25th, with a presentation by Dr. Marcie Ferris, assistant professor of American Studies and
a core faculty member of the Folklore Program.
