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Ferris: Another UNC Coup in Study of the South This profile originally appeared in the Carolina Alumni Review in the July/August 2002 issue. As a child growing up on a farm in Vicksburg, Miss., William Ferris from time to time would attend the local African-American churches. The visits left a lasting impression. Inside, he encountered spiritually united congregations, all sharing experiences like no other. "There were no hymnals, and everyone was singing from memory -- that was very important to me," Ferris said.
Those trips embedded in Ferris not just an appreciation, but a love, a passion, for Southern culture. For the past 40 years, Ferris has studied and taught the American South, specializing in African-American music and folklore in the process. His experiences eventually led to his most widely acclaimed work -- the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture -- and from 1997 to 2001 he was chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Continuing an enduring and diverse career in academia, Ferris is bringing his expertise to UNC this August, where he will direct the Center for the Study of the American South. He also will be a professor of history and an adjunct professor in the University's folklore curriculum. But balancing multiple roles is a skill Ferris has perfected over the years. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature at Davidson College, master's and doctoral degrees in folklore from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's in English lit from Northwestern University, Ferris embarked on a career inexplicably extensive. He eventually went on to teach at Jackson State University and Yale University, but outside of the classroom walls is perhaps where his name is most recognizable. Ferris has written or edited 10 books on Southern culture, most notably Encyclopedia, which was published by UNC Press. He also has made a name for himself through 15 documentary films, in which he says he was able to expound upon his anthropological studies of the American South. While in the classroom -- from both sides of the podium -- he has had the opportunity not only to delve into his Mississippi roots but also to develop integral connections with the groups that inspired his work. "Folklore is the heart of a culture," he said. "If I want to best understand a region, folklore is the way to do that. You become more and more comfortable with not drawing lines between scholarship and folk knowledge -- you realize that knowledge is the ultimate goal. ... I think in many ways it's reclaiming an organic vision." That vision specifically helped him build dynamic relationships with the black community, he said. In a way, he believes his research on African-American folklore in the Mississippi Delta and his work at Jackson State -- a predominantly black institution -- was an extension of the civil rights movement. "I've always felt very close to the black community. The study of black folklore was a way of giving a voice to a group of people that had been voiceless in history. An old proverb says, 'When an old man or woman dies, a library burns to the ground,' and I think that is particularly true in black culture." Ferris found other ways to give back to the communities that aided in his work, including his work as chair of the NEH -- the federal agency that supports programs, research and education in the humanities through grants -- where he helped raise an additional $15 million in annual appropriations. This summer, Ferris has been a public policy fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for the Humanities in Washington, D.C. As he transitions back to the classroom at UNC, Ferris already is starting a new book, what he calls a "running narrative" that will incorporate many voices -- those of folk artists and even his own family. The project also will be Ferris' first experience in multimedia, with plans for a DVD to supplement the book, which will feature his photographs and videotaped interviews. Ferris still thinks UNC is the best place to study the American South, and he said that many times during his research he counted heavily on scholars from North Carolina. "The study of the South as an academic field really began in Chapel Hill in the early 20th century," he said. "I love teaching, and I look forward to being back in the classroom. I'm going to try to create some really exciting courses." This fall, Ferris plans to instruct a seminar on Southern music within the history department and will teach a course on folklore in the spring. Aside from teaching and research, he hopes to use his influence, and perhaps draw on his experience at the NEH, to help enhance what he believes already are sound curricula in studies of the American South. "I think they're very strong right now," he said. "The legacy will continue, and I hope to help find support for that process. ... I guess I'll be one more hand in many hands in building a brighter future for UNC." -- Daniel Thigpen
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