Three scholars with backgrounds in labor, sociology and rural development recently joined Mountain State Spotlight Founding Editor-in-Chief and President Ken Ward Jr. for a discussion exploring shifting power dynamics in rural Appalachia.
Ward moderated the April 19 conversation between scholar-activist Barbara Ellen Smith, assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Sustainability at the University of Tennessee Gabe Schwartzman and political sociologist John Gaventa.
The 90-minute discussion explored the enduring influence of the coal industry in rural communities, shifting political dynamics, the rise of Trumpism, investigative journalism’s role in exposing corporate power and emerging grassroots efforts to build more equitable and sustainable futures.
Barbara Ellen Smith is a scholar-activist whose work focuses on labor, race, and gender in Appalachia and the U.S. South.
John Gaventa is the author of Power and Just Transitions: Struggles for a Post-Coal Future in an Appalachian Valley.
Gabe Schwartzman, who co-authored Just Transitions, studies climate change, rural development, and the energy transition.
Watch the recording to hear their insights on the challenges and opportunities facing Appalachian communities as they navigate economic, political, and energy transitions.
This event was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world.