A Field Guide to Appalachia
“To examine the determination of space, therefore, is to ask how power operates materially and ideologically within society, to demystify the social relations that organize everyday life and inhabited space, and to critically deconstruct the historical contingencies that condition the present situation.”
-Brett Story, Prison Land
With the uncontrolled rise of incarceration in the last four decades, the construction of prisons in rural locations has been framed as serving the dual function of housing the surplus of prisoners as well as employing those hit hard by agricultural consolidation, corporate flight, and the increasing globalization of the economy. In Appalachia, as coal mines close, desperate for any sort of economic stimulation, many small towns turn to prisons as their only hope. Despite limited evidence of their economic contribution, 29 state or federal prisons have been constructed in Central Appalachia since 1989. Understanding the nuances of this coalfield to prison pipeline requires examining a complex overlay of events and polices. This field guide hopes to uncover and make clear these dynamics which have led to the region’s current struggles. By diagnosing and critiquing the historic and current oppressive forces in the region, a better future can be imagined. While it may seem difficult to envision, a more environmentally and economically sustainable future is possible for Appalachia. This field guide serves as a starting point for making this vision a reality.
While the Green New Deal needs to be a national, and even global, effort, this field guide focuses on the Appalachian region of the United States. It does so for three key reasons: (1) As one of the world’s largest, most productive coalfields, Appalachia is ground zero for the energy transition. If a Green New Deal is to be successful, its adherents will have to find ways to center regions like it in their policy design; (2) As one of the nation’s most impoverished regions, it represents a critical frontline community for channeling public investment into good-paying jobs, renewable energy, care work, and other pillars of the Green New Deal; and (3) It offers an opportunity to make the material benefits of the energy transition real and visceral for a set of communities that may not already be lined up in support of the Green New Deal. Put another way, it offers climate activists a chance to grow their coalition large enough and long enough to imagine building out their imagined world across the entire country.
-Brett Story, Prison Land
With the uncontrolled rise of incarceration in the last four decades, the construction of prisons in rural locations has been framed as serving the dual function of housing the surplus of prisoners as well as employing those hit hard by agricultural consolidation, corporate flight, and the increasing globalization of the economy. In Appalachia, as coal mines close, desperate for any sort of economic stimulation, many small towns turn to prisons as their only hope. Despite limited evidence of their economic contribution, 29 state or federal prisons have been constructed in Central Appalachia since 1989. Understanding the nuances of this coalfield to prison pipeline requires examining a complex overlay of events and polices. This field guide hopes to uncover and make clear these dynamics which have led to the region’s current struggles. By diagnosing and critiquing the historic and current oppressive forces in the region, a better future can be imagined. While it may seem difficult to envision, a more environmentally and economically sustainable future is possible for Appalachia. This field guide serves as a starting point for making this vision a reality.
While the Green New Deal needs to be a national, and even global, effort, this field guide focuses on the Appalachian region of the United States. It does so for three key reasons: (1) As one of the world’s largest, most productive coalfields, Appalachia is ground zero for the energy transition. If a Green New Deal is to be successful, its adherents will have to find ways to center regions like it in their policy design; (2) As one of the nation’s most impoverished regions, it represents a critical frontline community for channeling public investment into good-paying jobs, renewable energy, care work, and other pillars of the Green New Deal; and (3) It offers an opportunity to make the material benefits of the energy transition real and visceral for a set of communities that may not already be lined up in support of the Green New Deal. Put another way, it offers climate activists a chance to grow their coalition large enough and long enough to imagine building out their imagined world across the entire country.
Explore the full field guide here, or through the links below.