The Rural Primitive in American Popular Culture: All Too Familiar - Paperback

by Karen E. Hayden (Author)

Karen E. Hayden explores how the rural other became linked to evolutionary theories that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century. Using popular culture depictions of the rural primitive, Hayden shows that the message of rurality is clear: if society resists modernization and urbanization, degeneracy, primitivism, and an overall devolution will occur.

Author Biography

Karen E. Hayden is professor in the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice at Merrimack College.