About the book
In his expansive history of documentary work in the South during the twentieth century, Scott L. Matthews examines the motivations and methodologies of several pivotal documentarians, including sociologist Howard Odum, photographers Jack Delano and Danny Lyon, and music ethnographer John Cohen. Their work salvaged and celebrated folk cultures threatened by modernization or strived to reveal and reform problems linked to the region’s racial caste system and exploitative agricultural economy.
Images of alluring primitivism and troubling pathology often blurred together, neutralizing the aims of documentary work carried out in the name of reform during the Progressive era, New Deal, and civil rights movement. Black and white southerners in turn often resisted documentarians’ attempts to turn their private lives into public symbols. The accumulation of these influential and, occasionally, controversial documentary images created an enduring, complex, and sometimes self-defeating mythology about the South that persists into the twenty-first century.
Editions of Capturing the South
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781469646442
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781469646459
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469646473
- EBook
- ISBN 9798890842459
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469646466
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890842442
Read an Excerpt
In his expansive history of documentary work in the South during the twentieth century, Scott L. Matthews examines the motivations and methodologies of several pivotal documentarians, including sociologist Howard Odum, photographers Jack Delano and Danny Lyon, and music ethnographer John Cohen. Their work salvaged and celebrated folk cultures threatened by modernization or strived to reveal and reform problems linked to the region’s racial caste system and exploitative agricultural economy.
Images of alluring primitivism and troubling pathology often blurred together, neutralizing the aims of documentary work carried out in the name of reform during the Progressive era, New Deal, and civil rights movement. Black and white southerners in turn often resisted documentarians’ attempts to turn their private lives into public symbols. The accumulation of these influential and, occasionally, controversial documentary images created an enduring, complex, and sometimes self-defeating mythology about the South that persists into the twenty-first century.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Capturing the South about?
In his expansive history of documentary work in the South during the twentieth century, Scott L. Matthews examines the motivations and methodologies of several pivotal documentarians, including sociologist Howard Odum, photographers Jack Delano and Danny Lyon, and music ethnographer John Cohen. Their work salvaged and celebrated folk cultures threatened by modernization or strived to reveal and reform problems linked to the region’s racial caste system and exploitative agricultural economy.
Images of alluring primitivism and troubling pathology often blurred together, neutralizing the aims of documentary work carried out in the name of reform during the Progressive era, New Deal, and civil rights movement. Black and white southerners in turn often resisted documentarians’ attempts to turn their private lives into public symbols. The accumulation of these influential and, occasionally, controversial documentary images created an enduring, complex, and sometimes self-defeating mythology about the South that persists into the twenty-first century.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Capturing the South?
History and Archaeology > History > History of the Americas
Where can I read a sample of Capturing the South?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469646442
How long is Capturing the South and how many pages does it have?
Capturing the South has 328 page(s)
Is Capturing the South part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series Documentary Arts and Culture, Published in association with the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Capturing the South?
Scott L. Matthews
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Capturing the South is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469646442) and paperback(ISBN 9781469646459) and ebook(ISBN 9781469646473) and ebook(ISBN 9798890842459) and ebook(ISBN 9781469646466) and pdf(ISBN 9798890842442)
Where can I buy Capturing the South online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Capturing the South from below
Where can I buy Capturing the South?