BartonMemo15

Interestingly, neither of these core categories references MTR or activism specifically. Rather, they are both layers of context that are absolutely fundamental to the issue and the framing of MTR for both those who support it and those who oppose it. They're both integral to the idea of identity and yet broad and fuzzy enough that they can mean many different things at different times and to different people and so are mobilized in many different ways. They serve as kind of linguistic placeholder (there's a word for it...), a rhetorical shortcut. So you can have people framing MTR as both the salvation and the destruction of Appalachian culture or economy. You can have people saying that MTR is the only way for Appalachia to develop its economy and that MTR will surely ruin any chance for Appalachia to develop its economy.

It's the mountain range that stretches from Alabama to New York, the oldest range in the US. It's the geographical region/part of that mountain range that runs includes western North Carolina, eastern Tenn and Kent., all of WV and southwestern VA. Sometimes it includes western Pennsylvania, but often not.
 * Appalachia**

It's the culture associated with the people living in the Appalachian mountains south of Pennsylvania (usually). A culture that is recognized as somehow distinct from cultures elsewhere in the US by both the people who live there and by people who live outside.

It refers to a 'people'. Residents will often refer to themselves as 'mountain folk' or 'mountain people' to distinguish themselves from people who live elsewhere. There's a strong sense of pride in the history of the region, and the roles that people's ancestors have played and the work that they have done. This has always created interesting tensions with the coal industry: there are quotes over generations of mothers who are proud that their husbands and fathers were coal miners, and swear that they will never let their sons go into the mines. There's a history of being politically and economically disenfranchised and fighting back, forever fighting back.

Academics and others looking in from the outside have come up with all kinds of categories of Appalachian 'things': Appalachian music, dance, storytelling, language patterns. A student at universities in the general vicinity can take courses in Appalachian literature and Appalachian history. Many schools offer concentrations in Appalachian Studies.

It's a unique ecosystem, or rather, range of ecosystems. The central Appalachians are one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, which has something to do with the range of elevations at a temperate latitude. Its home to some of the headwaters of the Ohio-Mississippi river system.

It's the poorest region of the US, historically considered backwards. It's been labeled an "energy sacrifice zone".

-The point, I think, is that people both inside and outside the region, recognize Appalachia as something specific and unique, and something valuable. What is unique about the area and what is valuable varies widely.


 * Heritage, Future**

These two words come up all the time, and again, are used by both supporters and opponents of MTR. They are most often used in reference to livelihood. That is, something more than jobs, but anchored in the need for income. It's a way for people to talk about the continuum of the environmental, social, economic, and political history of coal in the region.

More to come ....