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Matthew Smith, a Scottish historian, says he “stumbled into the study of Appalachia.” Before moving to the U.S., he “could not have guessed the difference between a banjo and a mandolin, and would struggle to name a single bluegrass song.”
Today, he teaches at Miami University’s campuses in southwestern Ohio – which is not, strictly speaking, Appalachia. But the south of the state was deeply shaped by migration out of the mountains, as mining industrialized in the 20th century and workers looked for opportunity elsewhere.
Among the many Kentuckians who came to Ohio were the grandparents of Sen. JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate. Vance’s memoir about his rocky upbringing – the 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” – put Middletown, Ohio, on the national map. His hometown became a many-sided symbol: of America’s Rust Belt, of Appalachia, of struggling cities in the Midwest, of the opioid crisis – the list goes on.
Smith, who read “Hillbilly Elegy” with one of his classes in Middletown, writes about the area’s rich heritage, which risks getting abstracted away in national debates. And he shares his students’ reactions to the book, reflecting the complexity of the region itself.
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A mural in downtown Middletown, Ohio, home to around 51,000 residents – and JD Vance’s hometown.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Matthew Smith, Miami University
Vance’s hometown has been analyzed as a sweeping symbol – sometimes overlooking the area’s distinct history and experiences.
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