The Mississippi Encyclopedia is a collaborative project organized by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, in partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Mississippi Arts Commission, the University Press of Mississippi, and countless scholars and writers interested in Mississippi.
The Mississippi Encyclopedia will be an interdisciplinary volume, based on historical study and including contributions on literature, art and architecture, music, folk life, religion, and a wide range of other themes. It will study both past and present, and will include every county in the state, extended essays on each of the state's sub-regions, special concentration on the state's writers, musicians, and artists, and full treatment of state and local politics. Consisting of one volume, it will use an A to Z format and include many illustrations.
The goals of the Mississippi Encyclopedia are to be authoritative and scholarly, comprehensive, interesting, and relevant. Relying on 29 associate editors to suggest topics and contributors in their fields, the encyclopedia will reflect the diversity of the state's regions and experiences, honor its creativity, and recognize both its problems and achievements. It should be attractive and useful for schloars, students, and a broad reading public. The Mississippi Encyclopedia should be ready for publication by the University Press of Mississippi by 2009.