Queering Mayberry

<p><i>Queering Mayberry: An Exploration of Sexuality and Gender in the Andy Griffith Show</i> is an interdisciplinary study which reexamines <i>The Andy Griffith Show</i> through the frame of queer theory offering a fresh perspective on its cultural significance in the Southern Appalachians.</p><p>Amid current debates on Critical Race Theory and LGBTQIA+ rights the nostalgic pull of the “Myth of Mayberry” remains potent. This work critiques the restorative nostalgia surrounding small-town southern ideals arguing that disrupting the monolithic image of southern conservative Christian cisgender identity requires a critical look at the cultural artifacts that helped shape it. Through a combination of historical research including original episode scripts with Andy Griffith's notes cultural studies and performance theory it uncovers a complex relationship between queerness and Southern Appalachian identity.</p><p><i>Queering Mayberry: An Exploration of Sexuality and Gender in the Andy Griffith Show </i>will be valuable to scholars and students in Appalachian studies media studies queer theory and social history.</p>