Politics of Appalachian Rhetoric

In exploring the ways that Appalachian people speak and write Amanda E. Hayes raises the importance of knowing and respecting communication styles within a marginalized culture. Diving deep into the regions historical rootsespecially those of the Scotch-Irish and their influence on her own Appalachian OhioHayes reveals a rhetoric with its own unique logic utility and poetry.Hayes also considers the headwinds against Appalachian rhetoric notably ideologies about poverty and the biases of the school system. She connects these to challenges that Appalachian students face in the classroom and pinpoints pedagogical and structural approaches for change.Throughout Hayes blends conventional scholarship with autobiography storytelling and language illustrating Appalachian rhetorics validity as a means of creating and sharing knowledge.