Representation and Resistance: Identity Expression in Podcasts from Appalachia

This study considers the way podcasters who produce shows about Appalachia use the medium to express ideas about social identity and challenge negative stereotypes about the region. In sixteen qualitative interviews, podcasters expressed a desire to combat regional essentialism by amplifying voices and complicating existing narratives of Appalachia as a cultural monolith. Participants hoped to develop project identity to pursue the goals of encouraging regional connection and deconstructing Appalachian stereotypes. Participants also described at times competing interests in combating those stereotypes while also avoiding essentialism that might lead them to generalization themselves.