Fifth Annual Abbeville Institute Summer School

"The Origin and Character of Southern Identity"

June 11– 15, 2007, Seabrook Island, South Carolina

What is Southern identity? When did people first consciously think of themselves as Southerners? These questions were explored in the context of the culture of the Old South: its literature, religion, architecture, and moral character. Special attention was given to the way Southern identity was sharpened by its resistance to an aggressive New England cultural imperialism that sought, after 1814, to define the whole of America in terms of itself.

Beginning with the seventeenth century contrasting Southern and New England character types were examined to reveal the mind of these competing cultures: William Byrd vs. Cotton Mather; Jefferson vs. Franklin; Randolph vs. Thoreau; Simms and Poe vs. Emerson.

Contact Us:

Phone & Fax: 404.377.0484