Voices From the New South: Students’ Perspectives on College Life at the University of Georgia, 1866-1900

• In Event: Student Voices on Culture, Rights, and Life on the College Campus

Abstract

To better understand a culture, one must analyze the individuals within it. This study examines students’ personal documents as cultural artifacts. It uses historical document analysis and incorporates the Grounded Theory Method to present a thematic social history delving into student life at the University of Georgia between 1866 and 1900. It identifies the most influential motifs of social life that emerge from students’ documents. Closely examining candid documents of college students during the period can shed considerable light on an area of inquiry left untreated in many institutional histories. It also can reveal a more detailed portrait than currently exists of the forces driving student actions in the American South during Reconstruction and the runup to the 20th century.

Author

• James Ingerski, University of Georgia - Athens