The Ozarks is a place often described by outsiders as full of hillbillies, moonshiners, regressive, insular, and worse. But how have Ozarkers thought about themselves over the years? How did the Ozarks come to be defined in these ways? And what are these assumptive descriptions really saying in the age of Walmart and Netflix? Join historian Jared Phillips (University of Arkansas) in discussing the history of the Ozarks to try and see how Ozarkers have engaged in meaning-making in this place and the nation over time.

In this session, Jared will discuss

• The geography of the region

• Major historical events and themes in the region, from Indigenous settlement to the rise of Walmart

• The changing population of the Ozarks

Jared Phillips is a writer and farmer with deep roots in the Arkansas hill country. He and his wife farm above the Muddy Fork of the Illinois River, relying on draft horses for their farm work. In addition to farming and writing, he’s a historian at the University of Arkansas where he teaches on Ozark and rural history and is the author of Hipbillies: Deep Revolution in the Arkansas Ozarks. He is currently finishing work on Harvesting Hope: How Organic Farming Tried to Save the Ozarks, a history of the Ozark Organic Growers Association and the development of the USDA Organic program. In addition to his academic work, other writing can be found in Gravy, Farming Magazine, Front Porch Republic, Skipjack Review, and more.

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