First Published in 1981. In Perspectives on the American South we hope to gather, yearly, essays that deal with the society, politics, and culture of the region. This first book in the series contains 27 articles, representing the work of some 30 scholars, and including the disciplines of history, sociology, anthropology, political science, and geography. The papers have been organized around four broad topics: violence in the region, southern politics, comparative studies of the region, and the South’s ethnic and cultural groups.