The Redneck Project
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The idea behind the redneck project is simply. If a redneck can be readily identifiable socially, no matter where they live, can they also be readily identifiable linguistically regardless of where they call home? To answer this question, I have begun collecting interviews with rednecks from across the country. I started during my undergraduate years, getting to know a group of redneck males in Vermont for my undergraduate thesis. I later took this work and considered a variety of variables for my Master's thesis. I have also conducted some interviews with rednecks in Michigan. Though the project is slow moving and currently not my main focus, I am continually finding connections between rednecks that live in disparate communities. Along with sociolinguistic interviews, I am also beginning to analyze a variety of TV shows, games, and books that feature rednecks as their main characters.
For more information on this project (including variables I have identified), please feel free to contact me. For your reading pleasure, I have provided the abstract for a presentation I gave on this research at the American Anthropology Association's annual meeting in 2012 below. |