Declining Dixie: Regional Identification in the Modern American South

• Published in: Social forces Vol. 88; no. 3; pp. 1083 - 1101
• Main Authors: Cooper, Christopher A., Knotts, H. Gibbs
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chapel Hill, NC The University of North Carolina Press 01.03.2010; University of North Carolina Press; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: African Americans; American South; Analysis; Black people; Business; Business community; Business history; Cities; Comparative Analysis; Corporate names; Cultural Traits; Cultures and civilizations; Demographic change; Empirical research; Ethnic groups. Acculturation. Cultural identity; Ethnicity; Family Income; Geographic Regions; Geography; Group identity; High School Graduates; Identification; Identity; Names; Naming; Naming conventions; North Carolina; Place names; Politics; Population Density; Proprietors; Racial Attitudes; Racial Differences; Racial Relations; Reed, John Shelton; Regional Characteristics; Regional identity; Regionalism; Rural Areas; Social aspects; Social identity; Sociology; Time Periods; Toponyms; U.S.A; United States (Deep South); United States (South); VARITIES OF SOCIOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE; Whites; North Carolina; United States Of America; United States; Southern states; Regional Identity; Region; Identification; Naming
• ISSN: 0037-7732; 1534-7605
• DOI: 10.1353/sof.0.0284

We replicate and extend John Shelton Reed's classic work on regional identification by examining and modeling the prevalence of the words “Dixie” and “Southern” in business names across 100 cities and four decades. We find that the instances of “Dixie” have dropped precipitously, although identification with the word “Southern” has remained more constant, providing evidence of a trend we term re-southernization. We also find that the relative number of blacks in the population provides the most consistent explanation of regional identity. Population density has also emerged as a significant predictor of regional identification in more recent time periods. These findings contribute to the literature on regional identification, the politics of naming and the sociology of the South.