Southern Studies

University to Celebrate 175th Anniversary
UM invites alumni, supporters to day of celebration on Nov. 6 OCTOBER 10, 2023 BY CLARA TURNAGE The University of Mississippi will observe 175 years of service to the state and nation with a celebration at 1 p.m. Nov. 6 in front of the historic Lyceum. When Mississippi’s flagship university opened its doors on Nov. […]

State, National Leaders Share Insights on Leading Through Disaster
Panel discusses leadership through tragedy, crisis at Ford Center event SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 BY CLARA TURNAGE Five state and national leaders shared lessons from their struggles and successes of leadership in crisis Thursday evening (Sept. 14) at the University of Mississippi‘s Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. With former Sen. Trent Lott moderating, former […]

Historian Focuses on Lives of Black Americans During Reconstruction
Kidada Williams gives annual Gilder-Jordan Lecture SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 BY REBECCA LAUCK CLEARY Many Americans learn in school that Reconstruction failed, but few can accurately identify who failed to do what and why. In the annual Gilder-Jordan Lecture in Southern Cultural History, historian and author Kidada E. Williams answers those questions in “The Devil Was Turned Loose: […]

University Launches Summer Research Program on Politics of Place
Interdisciplinary initiative to begin in May 2024 AUGUST 29, 2023 BY EDWIN B. SMITH The intersection of race and politics is the focus of a new summer research program coming soon to the University of Mississippi. The “Interdisciplinary Study of the Politics of Place” is an undergraduate research experience funded with a three-year grant from the National […]

SouthTalks Focus on Creativity in the South
Lectures begin Sept. 6 with discussion of changing minds AUGUST 27, 2023 BY REBECCA LAUCK CLEARY Creativity in the South is the programming theme for the 2023-24 academic year at the University of Mississippi‘s Center for the Study of Southern Culture. The fall SouthTalks series begins by recognizing that the U.S. South is a region of profound […]

Bolstering the Mission
Lodge Cast Iron Gift Supports SFA Work JULY 7, 2023 BY MARY STANTON KNIGHT/UM DEVELOPMENT Lodge Cast Iron, founded in 1877, is a fifth-generation family-owned cast iron cookware company based in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, that is strengthening the mission of the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) with an unrestricted gift of $150,000. Based at the University […]

Ted Ownby to Retire After 35 Years
Historian plans to write new book exploring Mississippians who did fascinating things JUNE 5, 2023 BY REBECCA LAUCK CLEARY After 35 years as a member of the University of Mississippi faculty, including 11 years as director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, history and Southern studies professor Ted Ownby is preparing to […]

For the Love of the South
Feders Recommit Support for Oxford Conference for the Book with $100K Gift JUNE 1, 2023 BY BILL DABNEY As native Mississippians, Ron Feder and his late wife, Becky, grew up steeped in the folkways of the American South. But it took an extended stay in the faraway Philippines to help them truly appreciate the extraordinary […]

Summer Sunset Series to Highlight Art, Music and Alumni
Annual free concert series to include Mississippi musicians, Southern studies alumni showcase MAY 28, 2023 BY CLARA TURNAGE Each Sunday in June, members of the Lafayette-Oxford-University family can gather on the Grove for a night of music and culture as the annual Summer Sunset Series returns to the University of Mississippi. The free concert series […]

Journey to Commencement—Making a Community
Sandip Rai’s creative journey brings stories to life on the screen. MAY 4, 2023 BY REBECCA LAUCK CLEARY When Sandip Rai made a list of possible graduate schools, his factors included location, program courses, community and eligibility. After a Zoom meeting with staff at the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture, […]