Land and Economy of Appalachia Conference 1986

ORGANIZED LABOR IN CENTRAL APPALACHIA

Appalachia has long been the scene of some of the
most bitter and bloody labor-management strife in the
United States. From Matewan, West Virginia, to Harlan
County, Kentucky. to the convict Labor Wars of east
Tennessee, the experience in the hills and hollows has
been bare-knuckled and hard-fought. This intensity
crops up occasionally even today, witness the recent
confrontation between the United Mine Workers and the
A.T. Massey Coal Company in Kentucky and West Virginia
This confrontation erupted most violently in Pike

GENDER, FAMILY STRUCTURE, AND POVERTY IN CENTRAL APPALACHIA

More than two decades after Appalachia was identified
as a primary battleground in the "war on poverty,"
the region remains the quintessential example of pasistent
poverty and underdevelopment in the United States.
This is true despite decades of government intewentions
promoting growth as weU as clear evidence of red
growth in aggregate income, industrhkation, and
improved infrastructure. In this paper we look at how
the economic structure of the region differentially influences
poverty rates for different segments of the population.

THEY'RE NOT ALL SITTING BACK AND TAKING IT : FIGHTING FOR CHANGE IN EASTERN KENTUCKY

In 1974, Sidney Cornea retired after 20 years of military
service. He planned to settle quietly with his wife
and two children on his family's farm in Peq County.
Sidney spent his fust two yews of retirement remodeling
an old family house on Combs Branch, helping relatives
and friends to fu their houses and becoming an active
member of the Dwarf Baptist Church.

THE FUTURE OF COAI, AND COAL-FIELD DEVELOPMENT OBSERVATIONS AND PRESCRIPTIONS

I came to West Virginia more than 15 years ago
because I was hopeful. Lots of things seemed to be
coming together--things that promised to make fundamental
changes in how West Virginia's economy operated
and how people would live and work in a state that
had become synonymous with poverty.
West Virginia was the place for a strategic optimist
15 years ago. It seemed possible that a small amount of
money, a lot of patience and energetic people could leverage
big change. This was inveshnent banking of a different

THE RURAL/FARM CRISIS IN KENTUCKY APPALACHIA

An inscription on the United States Department of Agriculture building in Washington, D.C. says: It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

APPALACHIAN TRENDS AND THE LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE A PERSPECTIVE AND CASE STUDY BASED ON POWER THEORY

The purpose of this paper is to use power theory as
developed by John Gaventa (1980) in his historical
study of Appalachia to examine selected current and
projected trends in the region, to evaluate some of the
proposed solutions to the region's persistent problems,
and to focus on the mle of the local liberal ans college
as a resource for progress through rural adult education.
The liberal arts college is one of the "mediating structures"
(Couto. 1986) that may serve as change agent in

AN ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR APPALACHIA'S FUTURE APPLICATIONS OF "ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT" AND "SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY" THEMES TO A REGION IN CRISIS

Appalachia is clearly a region in crisis. The land
and its people continue to experience the traditional
problems of poverty, unemployment, resource depletion,
inadequate educational, health, and welfare programs,
inequality, and environmental decay. In addition. the
region has new difficulties that arise out of its interaction
with the world economy and national government.
These include capital flight, deregulation of envimnmental
standards, and cuts in Federal programs, as well
as a host of related problems (Couto, 1984).

PLUS CA CHANGE, PLUS C'EST LA MEME CHOSE BREAKING GEOGRAPHIC DETERMINISM IN EAST TENNESSEE

The rediscovery of the Southern Highlands in the
1960s and early 1970s reconvinced many Americans
that change and progress had bypassed Appalachia
This emneous view was reinforced by the production of
aggregate regional statistics. Using the Tennessee Valley
as a case study, it is clear that change has taken
place. But it is also clear that change has taken place
unevenly. The Tennessee River itself, the parallel roads
and turnpikes, the parallel railroads, the TVA projects
and the interstate revolution have carved a channel of

THE ECONOMY OF APPALACHIA IN THE NATIONAL CONTEXT

A. National Patterns

DIRECT ACTION AND APPALACHIAN FORESTLANDS

Appalachian and other forestlands are undergoing a
major environmental assault due to modern clear-cutting
practices, rapid encroachment by industrial, mining,
agricultural and urban development interests, unscrupulous
hunting and recreation practices, and lack of sufficient
protection of natural and cultural resources.
Access mads have been carved in otherwise pristine
areas; dirt bikes mils and litter abound; stealing of black
walnut and other valuable trees is not uncommon. The
Appalachian region, which once contained some of the