An Overview of the Religion in Eastern Kentucky
Loading...
Authors
Jeffers, Jeanine
Issue Date
1979
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
In the spring of 1978, I spent three months living and working at
Buckhorn Children's Center located in the heart of the beautiful hills and
valleys of Eastern Kentucky. It was there that my interest in the religion
of Appalachia first began. As a result, I returned to Buckhorn in the
fall of 1979 to once again live and work at the children's center as well
as conduct an in-depth study of religion in the area.
The religion in Appalachia is not manifested as much in the institutional
church as it is in the general thought, values, and beliefs of the culture.
Therefore, the most important part of my research was conducted simply by
living in Eastern Kentucky, making close observations, and striking up conversations
concerning religion with the inhabitants of the area. I often found
that my most valuable conversations were held following an interview after
the intimidating tape recorder had been turned off.
Much of my outside research was literature that was concerned with the
entire Southern Appalachian region of which Kentucky is a significant portion.
This is a relatively homogenous region, therefore, many studies of West
Virginia, for example, are highly applicable to Eastern Kentucky too. Hence
during my paper, I will occasionally speak of Appalachia although my research
was concentrated in Eastern Kentucky.
Finally, it is important to note that while this paper is an overview
of Eastern Kentucky religion, Perry, Breathitt, and Owsley Counties were where the majority of the research actually was conducted. Almost all of the specific examples contained in this paper have been drawn from this
region. Research has shown, however, that the experiences in these three
counties are generalizable to those everywhere in Eastern Kentucky.
Description
iv, 125 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo, Mich. : Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.