East Tennessee State University Center hopes to clarify Appalachian misconceptions

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East Tennessee State University Center hopes to clarify Appalachian misconceptions
Johnson City Press, Johnson City, TN
Elizabeth Saulsbury, Press Staff Writer
July 26, 2014

In news, television, movies and popular culture, Appalachia is often depicted as drug-addicted, dirty, uneducated and impoverished. But the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services and The Appalachian Project are on a mission to change that.

The Center for Appalachian Studies and Services at East Tennessee State University celebrates the true cultural heritage of Appalachia by documenting and showcasing Appalachia’s past. This year marks the center’s 30th anniversary.

“The truth about any region can never be fully known because diverse perspectives see different ‘truths,’ ” said Roberta Herrin, center director. “Research is the key — research in all its forms. As part of an institution of higher education, the center is committed to research that captures these diverse perspectives, thereby helping to see a whole region, which is far more meaningful and interesting than the flat media representations that are so common.”

The center includes the Reece Museum and the Archives of Appalachia. It also publishes Now & Then, a magazine committed to the honest representation of all aspects of the Appalachian region....

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