Synopses & Reviews
This volume of
The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture offers a current and authoritative reference to urbanization in the American South from the eighteenth century to the twenty-first, surveying important southern cities individually and examining the various issues that shape patterns of urbanization from a broad regional perspective.
Looking beyond the post-World War II era and the emergence of the Sunbelt economy to examine recent and contemporary developments, the 48 thematic essays consider the ongoing remarkable growth of southern urban centers, new immigration patterns (such as the influx of Latinos and the return-migration of many African Americans), booming regional entrepreneurial activities with global reach (such as the rise of the southern banking industry and companies such as CNN in Atlanta and FedEx in Memphis), and mounting challenges that result from these patterns (including population pressure and urban sprawl, aging and deteriorating infrastructure, gentrification, and state and local budget shortfalls). The 31 topical entries focus on individual cities and urban cultural elements, including Mardi Gras, Dollywood, and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Review
"Recommended for all reference collections in the Southern region."
-Library Journal
Review
"A compelling book. . . . Provides an excellent starting place for students, researchers, and general readers interested in the historical, social, political, and cultural processes that formed and are forming the new South. . . . Highly recommended for high school, public, community college, and academic libraries."
-American Reference Books Annual
Review
"The full volume on
Urbanization in
The New Encyclopedia greatly expands the eight thematic articles on the topic in the original
Encyclopedia."
-North Carolina Historical Review
Synopsis
This volume offers a current and authoritative reference to urbanization in the American South from the 18th century to the 21st, surveying important southern cities individually and examining the various issues that shape patterns of urbanization from a broad regional perspective. Forty-eight thematic essays consider the ongoing remarkable growth of southern urban centers, new immigration patterns, booming regional entrepreneurial activities with global reach, and mounting challenges that result from these patterns. Thirty-one topical entries focus on individual cities and urban cultural elements, including Mardi Gras, Dollywood, and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Synopsis
"Sponsored by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi."
About the Author
Wanda Rushing is associate professor of sociology at the University of Memphis. She is author of Memphis and the Paradox of Place: Globalization in the American South (UNC Press). Charles Reagan Wilson is Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Chair in History and Professor of Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi. He is coeditor, with William Ferris, of the original Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.