Research

Appalachian Studies Research

Appalachian Studies is dedicated to understanding the people and places of the Appalachian region, which spans from Mississippi to New York. As such, it intersects with every field of inquiry. Appalachian Studies research can be rooted in archival, sociological, arts-based, or scientific methodologies. It might examine the lives of people who live in the region now, who lived here in the past, or who live in other places as part of the Appalachian diaspora. It might document the plants, animals, and geological features of the region. It might examine economies, government policies, health outcomes, incarceration, or any other aspect of Appalachians’ lived experiences. It is often community engaged and focused on improving quality of life in Appalachia.

The Appalachian region is officially defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission, which has included 423 counties across five subregions in its map.

Appalachian Research Bureau

Are you a student, faculty member, or local resident who wants to become involved in Appalachian studies research? We are here to help! The Appalachian Research Bureau, housed in the UNG Appalachian Studies Center, offers support at every stage of a research project. We can help you identify a research topic, track down primary sources, draft a piece of writing, prepare a presentation, and get your work published.

Whether you already have questions you want to answer or are simply interested in the topic, we want to hear from you!

Research Interest Form

The Vickery Voice: Journal of the Georgia Appalachian Studies Center

The Vickery Voice is a biannual publication of the Georgia Appalachian Studies Center at the University of North Georgia. It features research reports, essays, oral histories, photographs, and creative writing from scholars, students, and community members with an interest in the Southern Appalachian region. Anyone may submit their writing to The Vickery Voice by contacting the editor via email. All submissions undergo editorial review.

The Vickery Voice is published under a CC BY 4.0 license, meaning that all material is freely available for others to share and adapt, although they must credit the original author. Each issue is deposited in the Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository, making it freely available to readers around the world.

Authors are encouraged to adhere to The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition in preparing their manuscripts. Sources should be cited using short-form footnotes (e.g. Whisnant, All That Is Native and Fine, 95) accompanied by a complete bibliography. However, The Vickery Voice can accommodate other styles as requested by authors for the purpose of adhering to disciplinary norms.

Send any submission or queries to Esther Morgan-Ellis.

Appalachian Studies Research at UNG

UNG students and faculty have made significant contributions to Appalachian studies research across the humanities and sciences. They have published chapters in landmark edited collections, contributed to leading journals, and participated in the annual conference of the Appalachian Studies Association.

The Appalachian Studies Center collaborates with internal and external partners to support and promote this research.

Publications in Appalachian Studies

Bennett, Tanya Long. “Mind Where You Puts Yo Feet: A Study of Southern Boundaries in Lillian Smith’s Strange Fruit.” In Critical Essays on the Writings of Lillian Smith, edited by Tanya Long Bennett. University Press of Mississippi, 2021. https://doi.org/10.14325/mississippi/9781496836847.003.0002.

Childers, Gina, and Hannah Elz. “Unveiling the Scientists and Engineers in the Southern Appalachian Community.” Cultural Studies of Science Education 17, no. 4 (2022): 1141–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-022-10133-4.

Crawford, Cameron Williams. “Reading One Hour in the Time of #MeToo.” In Critical Essays on the Writings of Lillian Smith, edited by Tanya Long Bennett. University Press of Mississippi, 2021. https://doi.org/10.14325/mississippi/9781496836847.003.0006.

Crawford, Cameron Williams. “‘This River of Crazy Women’: Subversive Motherhood and the Affrilachian Landscape in Crystal Wilkinson’s The Birds of Opulence.” In Appalachian Ecocriticism and the Paradox of Place, edited by Laura Wright and Jessica Cory. University of Georgia Press, 2023.

Dockery, Chris. “Heirloom Seed and Story Keepers: Arts-Based Research as Community Discourse in Southern Appalachia.” Journal of Appalachian Studies 20, no. 2 (2014): 207–23. https://doi.org/10.5406/jappastud.20.2.0207.

Dockery, Chris, Karrie Ann Fadroski, and Rosann Kent. “Saving Appalachian Gardens and Stories: Growing Community and Sustainability through Seeds and Art.” In Engaging Appalachia: A Guidebook for Building Capacity and Sustainability, edited by Rebecca Adkins Fletcher, Rebecca-Eli Long, and William Schumann. University Press of Kentucky, 2023.

Hammond, Lily M., Abigail C. Cannon, and Esther M. Morgan-Ellis. “Compositions Shaped by Community: Writing Music in the Sacred Harp Tradition.” Choral Journal 65, no. 7 (2025): 7–22.

Mayes, Kelsie B. “The Effects of Industrial Railroad Logging on Batesville, Georgia.” Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Series IV: Philology and Cultural Studies, January 20, 2020, 99–114. https://doi.org/10.31926/but.pcs.2019.61.12.32.

Morgan-Ellis, Esther M., Abigail C. Cannon, Neva Garrett, and Grey Smith. “Musicking in Lumpkin County, Georgia, 1909–1928.” American Music 41, no. 2 (2023): 229–59.

Morgan-Ellis, Esther M., Abigail C. Cannon, Lily M. Hammond, and Moriah Miller. “Negotiated Leadership in Sacred Harp Singing.” Ethnomusicology Forum, May 12, 2025, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/17411912.2025.2492988.

Morgan-Ellis, Esther M., Abigail Marvel, and Andrew Malphurs. “Appalachian After-School Music Programmes as Cultural Intervention.” Journal of Popular Music Education 7, no. 1 (2023): 47–67. https://doi.org/10.1386/jpme_00101_1.

Nakan, Jami, Julie Knight-Brown, and David Patterson. "School garden models to combat food insecurity in Lumpkin County, GA." In Neighborhoods: Impact on Child Health and Development, edited by I Leslie Rubin and Joav Merrick, pp. 123-140. Nova Medicine and Health, 2025. https://doi.org/10.52305/QAGX8342.

Nelson, Stacie M. “Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management in Rural Appalachia.” Doctor of Nursing Practice thesis, University of North Georgia, 2025.

Ouzts, Clay. “‘The Man Who Builded on a Rock Was Wise’: The Genesis of Elberton’s Granite Industry, 1882-1900.” The Georgia Historical Quarterly 86, no. 4 (2002): 587–616.

Paterline, Brent. “A Market in Transition: Drug Trafficking in Southern Appalachia.” Journal of Law and Criminal Justice 1, no. 1 (2013).

Patterson, Jessica R., Nicolas Szabo, and James C. Beasley. “Effects of Urbanization on the Efficiency and Composition of Vertebrate Scavengers.” Food Webs 37 (2023): e00317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2023.e00317.

Whittemore, Barry. “Religion and Identity in Appalachia and Carpathia.” Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Series IV: Philology and Cultural Studies 12 (2019): 115–22. https://doi.org/10.31926/but.pcs.2019.61.12.33.

“Town Building and Town Persistence in Virginia’s Blue Ridge: Lessons from the Past and for the Future.” Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov 9, no. 1 (2016).

Whittemore, Barry. "Buckwheat in the Blue Ridge: Cultural History and Sustainable Future." Appalachian Journal 53, no. 1 (2025): 113-118. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/apl.2025.a971201.

Williamson, Jasmine, Allison Bailey, Jacob Lougee, David Patterson, and Jessica Patterson. “A Preliminary Investigation of the Impact of Forest Management Practices on Microhabitat Abiotic Variables in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.” Georgia Journal of Science 78, no. 2 (2020).

Winskie, Jonathan, and Jessica Murray. “Heirloom Seed & Story Keepers: Growing Community & Sustainability through Arts-Based Research.” Papers & Publications: Interdisciplinary Journal of Undergraduate Research 2 (2013).

Wright, Katherine M. “Inter-Mountain Resource Extraction: A Comparative Study of Gold Mining in Appalachia and Carpathia.” Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Series IV: Philology and Cultural Studies 12 (2020): 41–56. https://doi.org/10.31926/but.pcs.2019.61.12.28.

Conference Presentations in Appalachian Studies

Childers, Gina, Tara Heimberger, Donna Governor, Lindsay Linsky, and Rosann Kent. "What does Appalachia mean to me? Investigating elementary and middle grades students’ perceptions of Appalachian culture during Camp Appalachia." Appalachian Studies Association Annual Conference, 2018.

Dockery, Chris D., Kaitlynn Brackett, Robert Gipe, and Tom Hansell. "Creative Inquiry in Appalachian Studies: The Case for Arts Based Research." Appalachian Studies Association Annual Conference, 2014.

Easton, Terry, Kristine Stilwell, and Jamie Mitchem. “From ‘Like a Family’ to the ‘Carpet Capital of the World’: Northwest Georgia Mill Towns in 3D.” Southern Labor Studies Association, 2024.

Galloup, Allison, and Tim Daniels. "Documenting Appalachia: Physical and Digital Community-based Archives." Appalachian Studies Association Annual Conference, 2019.

Hargis, Sophie, Sara Mauldin, and Cole Belbey. “The Impact of Carceral Institutions in Southern Appalachia.” UNG Annual Research Conference, 2025.

Harris, Hannah. "The Perceptions of Science and Engineering in Older Adults in Appalachia." Appalachian Studies Association Annual Conference, 2019.

Lipold, Mary. "Food Deserts in Appalachian Georgia: Mapping food insecurity for a university food pantry." Appalachian Studies Association Annual Conference, 2017.

Slemons, Emilyn, and Barry Whittemore. "Activism and Advocacy for Appalachia: The Woman Who Developed Appalachian Studies." UNG Annual Research Conference, 2024.

Whittemore, Barry T. "Appalachian Town History." Appalachian Studies Association Annual Conference, 2014.

Widincamp, Sarah M., and Kaity Brackett. "Camp Appalachia: Place-Based Enrichment for Gifted Students and Those Who Teach Them." Appalachian Studies Association Annual Conference, 2016.