Appalachia and the Hillbilly in the American Imagination
Dr Antony Harkins,
Western Kentucky University, USA
Date: 18th of February 2026
Time: 20:00
Venue: Zoom
The Appalachian region in the United States comprises the range of mountains stretching from north Georgia up to the state of Maine. It has been celebrated as an area of natural beauty and long-distance walks as well as a major centre of bluegrass music. However, it is also a very misunderstoodarea as evidenced by JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy.
About the speaker:
Anthony Harkins is a professor of history at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky and a scholar of U.S. popular culture history, particularly representations of rural America.
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