The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture

In his foreword to the 1989 edition, Alex Haley wrote, "I consider this Encyclopedia of Southern Culture the answer to a deep need that we resuscitate and keep alive and fresh the memories of those who are now bones and dust, who during their eras and in their respective ways contributed toward the social accretion that has entered legend as 'the southern way of life,' which we continue today." Haley's description of the Encyclopedia is a primary objective of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, and through the Encyclopedia, the original editors successfully "sought to assemble authoritative, concise, thoughtful, substantive, and interesting articles that will give scholars, students, and general readers a useful perspective on the South" (from the editors' introduction).

But C. Vann Woodward's review of the original Encyclopedia ended by "suggesting future needs for revision or supplement to keep up with ongoing scholarship." Thus, the University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture and the University of North Carolina Press are currently in the process of producing The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. The New Encyclopedia is being released as a series of clothbound and paperback volumes over the next several years, making each individual section of the original edition a handy, one-volume guide for those who are interested in a particular subject, as well as making the volumes more accessible for classroom study.

Each section of the original Encyclopedia is published as separate volume, with occasionally two sections being combined into a single volume. The volumes Foodways, Language, Folk Art, and Ethnicity are composed of nearly all new material. All of the articles first appearing in the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture have been updated or revised to reflect recent scholarship.

Production of the volumes is being staggered, with four to six volumes being published each year. The entire collection will contain 24 volumes; the first six volumes--Religion, Geography, History, Myth, Manners & Memory, Language, Ethnicity, Foodways, and Environment--have been published.

To purchase copies, visit your local independent bookstore or contact the University of North Carolina Press. A limited number of copies of the original Encyclopedia are also available through UNC Press.


Published Volumes




Coming Soon

  • Agriculture & Industry
  • Art & Architecture
  • Education
  • Folk Art
  • Folklife
  • Gender
  • Media
  • Music
  • Race
  • Recreation
  • Science & Medicine
  • Social Class
  • Urbanization
  • Violence