Practical Symbolic Interactions in the Shrine of the South: Conversations with a Damn Yankee finds that Lexington-Rockbridge, VA, community sentiments towards Southern symbols such as the Confederate Battle Flag and Robert E. Lee are not necessarily reducible to a racial divide. John F. Cataldi uses data to demonstrate that most black and white respondents navigate a social balance between the extremes of conservation and progress as a way to productively coexist and unify as a community rather than maintain an insular posture or cause division based solely on symbolic ideology. These forbearing folks seek ways to find common ground through pleasant and productive interaction. These findings challenge conventional sociological and media-provided paradigms and broaden the discussion of what tolerance and situational context mean for a large spectrum of community members who live in the milieu of Confederate symbols every day. Cataldi suggests that contention over Southern symbols is intensified by the few who are clustered at the ideological extremes, but the controversy may be overrepresented as being a social problem for the many in the middle.
John F. Cataldi teaches sociology of conflict and criminology at Washington & Lee University.
List of Tables and Figures Preface Introduction Chapter 1. Observing and Reporting in the Shrine of the South Chapter 2. Reformers: Liberal Crusaders and Anti-Racists Chapter 3. Retentionists: Conservative Crusaders and Faith Keepers Chapter 4. Forbearers: Acta non Verba Conclusion: The Sacred, the Mundane, and the Offensive Bibliography Appendix: Photos About the Author
"Contemporary attitudes toward Confederate monuments and memorials usually frame them either as poisonously retrograde or as worthy of veneration. Without giving in to such polarizing simplification or passing judgment, John F. Cataldi listens attentively, observes closely, and recognizes the nuances in how Southerners today-Black and White, pro and against Confederate monuments-make such symbols meaningful and even sacred. His careful and sympathetic study will open a lot of eyes on this contentious topic." -- Wendy Griswold, Northwestern University "As a Southerner living in the North, my reading of John F. Cataldi's analysis of the interactional intricacies of regional identity and cultural symbolism resonated deeply. With adept skill, Cataldi expertly demonstrates why and how Southerners make varied meanings of the Confederate Flag, and then rationalize those meanings to a "Damn Yankee." This is a master class on people, politics, and place-y'all better read this book!" -- Matthew W. Hughey, author of White Bound: Nationalists, Antiracists, and the Shared Meanings of Race
