[Introduction to] All Over the Map: Rethinking American Regions

Authors

Edward L. Ayers, University of RichmondFollow
Patricia Nelson Limerick
Stephen Nissenbaum
Peter S. Onuf

Files

Description

Even as Americans keep moving "all over the map" in the late twentieth century, they cherish memories of the places they come from. But where do these places—these regions—come from? What makes them so real? In this groundbreaking book a distinguished group of historians explores the concept of region in America, traces changes the idea has undergone in our national experience, and examines its meaning for Americans today.

Far from diminishing in importance, the authors conclude, regional differences continue to play a significant role in Americans' self-image. Regional identity, in fact, has always been fed by the very forces that many people think threaten its existence today: a central government, an aggressive economy, and connections with places beyond regional boundaries. Calling into question widely held notions about how Americans came to differ from one another and explaining why those differences continue to flourish, this iconoclastic study—by scholars with differing regional ties—will refresh and redirect the centuries-old discussion over Americans' conceptions of themselves.

ISBN

9780801853920

Publication Date

1996

Publisher

Johns Hopkins University Press

City

Baltimore, MD

Keywords

regions, United States, history

School

School of Arts and Sciences

Department

History

Disciplines

American Studies | United States History

Comments

Read the introduction to the book by clicking the Download button above.

Recommended Citation

Ayers, Edward L., Patricia Nelson Limerick, Stephen Nissenbaum, and Peter S. Onuf. All Over the Map: Rethinking American Regions. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1996.