What question did this study set out to answer?

The memoir examines the narrator's complex relationship with her racial and political identity while navigating family and regional ties.

May 18, 2026Open Access

Hiding in the White Space: Unknowing Myself in the Colors of the South

Key Points

The memoir examines the narrator's complex relationship with her racial and political identity while navigating family and regional ties.
Personal narrative structure
Descriptive portrayal of Arkansas's nature and history
Exploration of family relationships and cultural context
The narrator experiences a dual sense of belonging and rejection within her family and community.
Vivid descriptions highlight the beauty and turbulence of Arkansas's history.

Abstract

This thesis is a memoir about the narrator's experience of being raised in the American South. The narrator wrestles with her racial and political identity, her love for her home and her family, her guilt for moving away, all while painting a portrait of Arkansas through its vivid nature and fraught history. It is about finding belonging, or a lack thereof, in a family that loves but does not resemble you, in a state that raised but has historically rejected you.

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