First Name:
Megan
Last Name:
Northcote
Major Department:
History
Thesis Director:
Neva Specht
Date of Thesis:
May 2012
Throughout the twentieth and into the twenty-first century, public presentations of Appalachia folklife, specifically in the form of living history museums and folk festivals, have become increasingly popular among tourists. Authenticity plays a crucial role in determining how Appalachian people and culture are presented to the public. However, more important than defining authenticity is understanding how authenticity is interpreted differently among different "social actors" involved, including museum professionals, festival organizers, festival performers, and the public. To examine how authenticity is contested differently among these individuals, two case studies will be examined: Hickory Ridge Homestead, an allegedly Revolutionary War era living history museum begun in 1981, located in the Appalachian Mountains of Boone, North Carolina; and the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, the nation's oldest folk festival held since 1928 in Asheville, North Carolina. In their own way, both the Homestead and the Festival reveal how authenticity is a dynamic, social construct operating along a spectrum of different "social actors," yielding different levels ofeffectiveness.