Hillbillyland

The stereotypical hillbilly figure in popular culture provokes a range of responses, from bemused affection for Ma and Pa Kettle to outright fear. In Hillbillyland, J. W. Williamson investigates why hillbilly images are so pervasive and what purposes they serve. He has mined more than 800 movies for representations of hillbillies in their recurring roles as symbolic “cultural others”.