Although I am not a native born Son of the Confederacy, I have spent the vast majority of my life living in Yankee enclaves within the South. From an anthropological perspective, this gives me quite a unique view of Southern culture -- I straddle the line between cultural insider and outsider. As such, I hope that I may be forgiven for critiquing the society I have come to call 'home.'
My favorite aspect of southern culture was always the attention that True Southerners devote to history. Local, regional, and family history is very important to the identity of all Southerners. This extends beyond the standard textbook history of the State that all children learn in grade school. In fact, the practice of oral history, long lamented as a lost art
Here in America, is alive and well in the South.
Family history is the most familiar aspect of southern history, and any Southerner worth his salt will be able to give a detailed account of his genealogy. Most Southerners will be able to trace their families back several generations; often, they make special note of their connections to individuals of political importance or social prestige. Indeed, wealthy Southerners sometimes claim that their family tree is rooted in European nobility.
Local history is a fascinating aspect of southern culture. What is often elsewhere perceived as a quality of being backwards or inimical to progress is, to a Southerner, a proper maintenance of and respect for local heritage. Although the push to develop city centers hit the South harder than most other areas of the country, much was preserved and restored. Urban centers are now the showcases for Southern History. Places like
Winston-Salem and
Colonial Williamsburg have undertaken the monolithic task preservation of entire urban communities.
Regional history is, however, probably the most well-known of Southern concerns. Although the veneration of
The War of Northern Agression remains central to an outsider's perception of Southern history, Southerners have, in most cases, moved on with their lives. The aura of provinciality which is so often cast upon them is unfair. History has given short-shrift to the importance of the South during the Revolutionary War (Cornwallis was driven out of the South, mostly by militia, before Washington cornered him at Yorktown), the Spanish-American War (Southern conscripts formed a large part of the army which occupied Cuba, due to their natural resistance to malaria), and every American war since.
However, Southern history does have a striking negative side. Southern history can only be characterized as descriptive and explanatory. Something about Southern attitudes towards history make the examination, revision, and interpretation of history anathema. In the retelling, Southerners homogenize and simplify. They use their genealogy to relate themselves to their community and environment, but there is a great reluctance to critically examine the culture and history for hard fact. Glorification of Southern heritage very often triumphs over objective interpretations of fact.
This is not to say that Southern history is bad or incompetent. Indeed, I would suggest that Southern history is as vibrant and accessible as that of any other area of the country. Southerners seem to exhale history with each breath. Walter Edgar's book,
Partisans and Redcoats: The Southern Conflict that Turned the Tide of the American Revolution (New York: William Morrow, 2001), is a wonderful example of exegetical revisionism that will hopefully force some textbook revisions. Lamentably, his attitude seems to be the exception among Southerners.