Tobacco Town Futures: Global Encounters in Rural Kentucky

Situated between the foothills of Appalachia to the east and bluegrass country to the west, Nicholas County has been home to small tobacco farms in rural Kentucky for the past 200 years. But now, in the midst of tremendous economic changes generated by the movement of both textile jobs and tobacco production to other countries, residents of Nicholas County face an uncertain future.

Based on twenty-five years of research, Kingsolver's longitudinal ethnography of Nicholas County, her home community, synthesizes geographical, historical, economic, and political processes that have shaped lifeways and worldviews. She documents the perspectives of farmers, factory workers, politicians, those pursuing new niches in the labor market, and middle school students in search of alternative futures. Countering stereotypes, Kingsolver emphasizes the skills and agency of rural residents and demonstrates how people in widely dispersed and seemingly isolated communities in the world are connected through capitalist logic and practice, thereby illuminating globalization s far-reaching effects.

This is an excellent, poignant ethnography that demonstrates the often-hidden ways that global forces penetrate individual lives and communities. It is beautifully written, accessible for undergrads, and illustrates the best in insider ethnography. I loved the questions for students, too. --Cathy A. Small, Northern Arizona University

"Kingsolver is a native ethnographer, whose commitment to long-term research among her friends, neighbors, and relatives has contributed greatly to anthropological theory. In this book, she builds upon that contribution by offering greater insight into and a richer understanding of her community, both for us and for them." --Culture, Agriculture, Food and Environment

". . . a unique tour-de-force that should be valuable to a variety of stakeholders, scholars, and others." --Appalachian Heritage