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Redefining Southern Culture: Mind & Identity in the Modern South (review)

Historian James C. Cobb discusses the persisting yet changing nature of southern identity in his latest book, Redefining Southern Culture. He focuses on the impact of "modernization" on the culture and mind of the American South, specifically in the years since Reconstruction. The book consists of eight essays by Cobb, six of which have been published previously. The chapters fit together reasonably well and the book is successful in putting several important writings and ideas in one place. One of the strengths of the book is that Cobb spends considerable time outlining not only his own ideas but also the work of other scholars who have grappled with the study of southern cultural identity. Consequently, Redefining Southern Culture is an important resource for those teaching graduate or advanced undergraduate classes on the region. Much of the book is concerned with southern historiography, a treat for serious students of the region but perhaps less enjoyable or useful for the casual reader. This is particularly the case in three chapters, "Beyond Planters and Industrialists," "Does Mind Still Matter?" and "From 'New South' to 'No South'." Cobb revisits