Exhibitions in museums are increasingly becoming popular public pedagogical strategies that engage with stories of social struggles faced by certain communities. In this paper, I will look at how we at Mutare Museum used an exhibition on diamond mining--the research, the design, and the production--to create a public forum for dialogue and…

This article describes how out-of-work miners are engaged in the Empowering Education Initiative, a unique alliance between Country Music Television (CMT) and community colleges in Appalachia. The initiative, which includes a website and a series of country music concerts, is changing the conversation in the Appalachian region, giving hope to…

Many people perceive rural America as being an almost completely agricultural, farming, or ranching economy. In fact, less than 7 percent of rural employment is in agriculture; service industries account for over half, and service and manufacturing together account for more than 66 percent of employment in rural areas. Rural regions take 50…

The following is an historically-based analysis of a new phenomenon affecting rural schools and communities: animal confinement operations. A contrast is made between "enclosure" as it unfolded in England a few centuries ago and the way animal concentration units constitute a second, "modern" form of enclosure today. In both…

Novelist Mary Lee Settle reminiscences about growing up in an Appalachian coal mining town and how she uses her life experiences as a back drop for developing stories and characters for her novels. She discusses family history, coal mine violence, and the proud heritage and culture of Appalachians. (LP)

Discusses the history of the United Mine Workers Welfare and Retirement Fund and its efforts in providing physical rehabilitation and job retraining to disabled miners. Created in 1946, the fund was successful in providing vocational rehabilitation services to over 1,200 miners and could serve as a model of a comprehensive cost-effective approach…

Effective rural development planning depends on facts and analysis based, not on rural averages, but on the diverse social and economic structure of rural America. Programs tailored to particular types of rural economies may be more effective than generalized programs. Because of their unique characteristics, government policies and economic…