Conclusion

The conclusion examines present-day perceptions of Appalachia to illustrate the ongoing harm caused by the persistence of stereotypes regarding Appalachians’ literacy practices. It argues that, by reframing Appalachian history, we can begin to see that, while the current circumstances in the region are indeed a product of history, they are not a product of the history presented in popular narratives about the region—narratives that attribute any negative development in Appalachia to the natural consequence of Appalachia’s supposed long-standing poverty and ignorance. Recovering Appalachia’s literacy history gives us a new lens through which to examine the region’s experiences, expectations, and potential futures.

Appalachian Affects: Fieldwork as Material Ecology

This essay—based on fieldwork with off-grid homebuilders in the Mid-Ohio River Valley—recognizes ethnography as a more-than-human ecology of habit, rhythm, and affect. I begin by describing some of the materials, species, and affects I encountered during this fieldwork to show how Appalachian history, geography, and habit influenced my performance of sensory ethnography. From these anecdotes, field notes, and vignettes, I theorize ethnographic fieldwork as, first and foremost, a rhythmic attunement to place and bodies, especially nonhuman ones. In turn, I argue for a practice of fieldwork that roots human experience within a vibrant material ecology of more-than-human forces.